DECARBONISATION
DECARBONISING THE ENERGY INTENSIVE FOOD AND DRINK INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGIES FOR LOWER EMISSIONS AND GREATER ENERGY SAVINGS
Energy issues faced by the food and drink sector are potentially hard to balance. Stuart Little, Business Development Manager at Powerstar, considers two main priorities and explains how Voltage Optimisation technology and modern transformers are helping businesses – both retailers and manufacturers – to achieve the objectives of lower carbon emissions and reduced energy spend. 30
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ood retailers have a clear need to decarbonise and prioritise net zero – the public expect it and the majority of consumers would prefer to make a difference with an environmentally friendly shop, with 61% considering sustainability more important than it was even two years ago1. Food and grocery retailers with strong Environmental, Social and Governance policies will continue to benefit from the power of the consumer’s green pound. For food manufacturers, the demand to decarbonise comes directly from supermarkets and grocery retailers now looking to reduce Scope 3 emissions and scrutinising their supply chain accordingly. But, in a cost of living crisis, the sector is heavily impacted – 30% of consumers would prefer to shop sustainably were it not for the pressure of rising food prices (source as above). Food is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector (by turnover) and the fourth largest energy consumer with energy costs making up around 15% of total costs for the average food and drink manufacturer. Yet suppliers must 1 https://grocerytrader.co.uk/sustainability-ismore-important-to-61-of-uk-consumers-thanit-was-two-years-ago-but-cost-and-access-arebarriers-for-lifestyle-changes-finds-nielseniq/
ENERGY MANAGER MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
reduce emissions to satisfy their retail customers, while achieving greater energy efficiency to keep costs down and meet the demands of UK consumers. Reviewing energy management strategies – site profile and energy usage, infrastructure, and assets – can help balance the demand to decarbonise with the imperative to reduce energy spend. And transformer technology and Voltage Optimisation (VO) offer demonstrable benefits for retailers and manufacturers, alike. Many UK manufacturers rely on transformers to ‘step up’ or ‘step down’ voltages to required levels and transformers improve both the safety and the efficiency of power systems across a broad range of applications. But the UK’s transformer fleet is aging, with around three quarters exceeding intended design lifespan. This impacts on the reliability of the transformer and on its efficiency – as low as 85% for older transformers as compared to modern, low-loss transformers which can achieve energy efficiency ratings of up to 99.75%, with associated carbon emission reductions and cost savings. VO optimises incoming Grid supply to ensure it best meets the needs of the site. To meet legislative requirements,
