Step by step towards energy-positive production

Developments in the market force the agricultural sector to innovate. Environmental and quality requirements seem to be getting stricter, the climate is changing and can it not always be smarter, more efficient and perhaps better?

There is also a new generation of growers with their own vision of doing business. Add to that the competition, which is also constantly changing, and the need to keep up - or rather: to get ahead - is clear.

To take a head start, many farmers initially opt to invest in product development. Without a good product you are nowhere and with a good product you make the difference. It is then important to maintain the quality of the product for as long as possible. Mechanical storage is the answer.

Mechanical storage and condensation drying
ENGIE Refrigeration has developed methods for the sustainable and outside air independent drying and storage of potatoes and other agricultural products: mechanical cooling. ENGIE has been developed specifically for the storage of onions condensation drying. A system in which onions dry up to twice as fast. It is a mechanical storage system in an almost completely closed environment. No outside air is involved, or only if the conditions are right. The different phases of the storage process are fully automated. The computer continuously measures the temperature and humidity in the storage and adjusts the cooling capacity and the storage program to the cooling demand.

'In this way you create the ideal, stable storage environment. In this way, growers can maintain the quality of the product, realize significantly lower energy costs and take advantage of all opportunities for sustainability,' explains Gert Jan Knippenberg, Business Development Manager at ENGIE Refrigeration.

And those opportunities are there for the taking. More and more growers are also seeing this: they innovate to make the production process more sustainable. Sometimes because legislation and regulations make it necessary, but more and more often also because of intrinsic motivation to contribute to reducing the negative impact on the environment and because the market demands it.

Sustainable storage
By saying goodbye to traditional storage methods, you as an agricultural entrepreneur can take major steps towards sustainability and save costs at the same time. Mechanical storage, and therefore also condensation drying, is a sustainable form of storage in several respects:

1. The installations run on natural refrigerants | The natural refrigerants CO₂, ammonia and propane have a much lower impact on the greenhouse effect (GWP value) than synthetic refrigerants. Because ENGIE's sustainable storage system runs on these resources, the energy consumption of this installation is 20 to 40% lower than that of
2. An installation with a synthetic refrigerant. Would you like to know more about the most recent regulations regarding the synthetic refrigerant in your installation? Vthen request the Z-Card 'F-Gas legislation – Cooling without heating up'.
3. Gas heaters are a thing of the past | By shutting out the outside air, creating optimal storage conditions indoors and using residual heat for heating and drying, the use of gas heaters is also a thing of the past. This limits CO emissions₂ significantly and minimizes costs.
4. High product quality, little residual waste | Due to a gradual temperature drop during cooling, a stable temperature during storage and a constant humidity and CO₂content in the storage place, the quality of the products is maintained. For potatoes, for example, this results in less than 3% dehydration. In addition, the potatoes can be stored for longer, so that growers can better respond to price developments in the market and more marketable product remains. In other words, less wastage and residual waste.

Opportunities
Sustainable cooling and heating are already great steps, but there are so many more opportunities in the process that by linking them together yield even more results than all actions separately. It is even possible to store energy positively.

Energy positive? Precisely. Save more energy than consume. It's possible. And the best thing: while maintaining the quality of the products.

So energy positive. How?

1. Generate energy decentrally, for example with solar panels – By opting for solar panels, growers can generate all the energy required for the aforementioned mechanical cooling themselves. This way you already produce energy-neutral.
2. Use residual heat – Energy that is released can be reused directly in the process in other parts of the process. A heat pump can make this residual heat suitable for heating spaces or cleaning water, for example. This also reduces energy consumption, energy costs and CO₂emissions. By using the released heat again, you actually produce positive energy.

Double profit: summary
With mechanical storage, you choose to make your production process more sustainable while maintaining the quality of the product. Natural refrigerants are energy efficient, which means that the electricity bill is on average a quarter lower. In addition, the CO₂emissions much lower. There are even examples of companies that achieved energy savings of forty percent thanks to natural refrigerants. The smart, closed system also ensures that less energy (cold) is lost, which can reduce energy consumption by up to 80% compared to traditional storage methods. Thanks to a smart system in which stable storage conditions can be achieved, the quality of the product is maintained for longer. If you then also take the step to generate energy yourself, for example with solar panels, and reuse residual heat, you will ultimately have a positive outcome and you will realize both sustainable profit and quality gains. 

For more information and to request knowledge documents: www.koudetechniek.nl