Potato
Council has launched a new on-farm drive to help growers take control of
energy costs and identify where they can make savings estimated to be up to
£11 million across the industry. A guide to Improving energy efficiency in
potato stores includes advice, case studies and a what-to-buy kit guide.
More resources are being built into a new web-based hub (www.potato.org.uk/energy),
that includes commentary, discussion, benchmarking and an interactive advice
line for specific queries.
"Climate
change is an immeasurable challenge for the potato industry and energy use
lies at its heart," noted Potato Council's Rob Clayton at the launch of the
initiative at Potato Storage Day near Lincoln on 16 July.
"We're
breaking down this challenge into manageable chunks and identifying
specifically where growers can save money."
The new
six-page guide gives practical advice to growers and store managers on what
energy-monitoring equipment to install and how to use it to identify what
the true costs of storage are. Tips for success and the pros and cons of
different approaches are balanced with case studies based on a Potato
Council-funded energy-monitoring project carried out by FEC Services.
"The
practical guidance on what growers can do now to save energy costs has been
drawn from this on-going research programme and the actual experiences of
the commercial stores involved," pointed out Dr Clayton.
The new
web-based energy hub (www.potato.org.uk/energy) acts both as a library of
related information and an interactive forum for commentary, experiences and
queries. Results from the energy-monitoring programme will be posted and
discussed throughout the storage season to help others benchmark their own
costs. Andrew Kneeshaw, Tim Pratt and Jon Swain, from farm energy experts
FEC Services, provide topical tips, discussion and answers to queries.
"First, use
the guide to establish how to monitor energy usage," advises FEC's Tim
Pratt. "We estimate that step alone will save on average £360 per year for a
1000-tonne store. Next use the hub to help you make sense of the figures and
identify what your big energy users are and make even bigger savings."
The energy
hub has been designed to evolve with the needs of the industry, Dr Clayton
continues. An initial library of resources includes case studies and
general, energy-saving advice for potato growers. "But we need growers to
take part - share your experiences, ask for specific advice and give us your
feedback on how you want this service to develop. We'll refine the service
and build in more resources as the season progresses."
Initial
findings and results from a project that investigates the effectiveness of
ground-source heat pumps, funded jointly by Warwick HRI, Potato Council and
HDC, will also be fed into the hub. Additional resources to help save on
diesel fuel use and other aspects of carbon efficiencies will be developed
in conjunction with other industry sectors.
