Boosting Coolroom Efficiency using Renewable Energy
08 June 2016The fundamental goal of an energy awareness strategy is to use our finite resources responsibly. In reaching this worthy goal, we audit our most energy-intensive appliances and optimise prominent wattage gluttons, but what comes next? Next comes supplemental energy aids, a program that partners traditional power sources with a switch to renewable energy.
Reduce Power Grid Loads
We need the net output of our coolrooms to maintain a set frosty temperature. That’s an inviolable rule, one set in place to ensure our perishable commodities remain safely fresh and bacteria-free. Still, coolroom efficiency can be optimized in several ways, thus bringing the equipment within the renewable energy domain. Firstly, efficient fans and electric motors slice the power requirements of the equipment while maintaining chilled airflow and capacity. This strategy is accompanied by additional energy audits, supplemental insulation, and the incorporation of an innovative carbon footprint reduction plan.
Renewable Energy Options
An environmental protection plan extends backward like a long trail of green-themed dominoes. We see this principle in action in electric cars, with the vehicle soundly promoting a greenhouse gas reducing mechanism, but electrical power is still being sourced from some distant coal-powered generator. A truly energy-aware strategy acknowledges the power distribution entire chain, all the way back to the power station. Therefore, once the streamlined coolroom efficiency model is installed, including low-power electric motors, the next move is to conscientiously evaluate the power source. Opt, if at all possible, for hydroelectric energy or a naturally replenishable generator of easily renewable electrical power, for refrigeration is still one of our main energy gluttons.
Commercial Realism
Restaurants and commercial catering operations use somewhere in the region of five times as much electrical power as any other comparable business operation, which is why auditing procedures are an essential part of a profitable business. Now, while profit keeps a restaurant, hotel, or meat factory above the out-of-business waterline, we still have a responsibility to our environment. Fortunately, wind farms are currently popping up all over the landscape, and these supplemental power sources are even entirely overtaking traditional power grids in some countries. Meanwhile, until these facilities reach saturation point, we can talk to our utility companies and see exactly how much of our power is being generated by replenishable sources, by wind, solar, and water-powered generating plants.
In a twofold solution to the issue, innovative forms of technology save the day, but this approach can only really take flight when supported by a conscientious mind, one that seeks out renewable and ecologically friendly power.
Mark Connelly
C&M Coolroom Services
E-mail: markconnelly@cmcoolrooms.com.au
Mobile: 0412 536 315
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