CHP: Helping cold store cut costs

The new 2MW biogas CHP system has been supplied by Cogenco, Veolia’s package CHP team, and will increase the generation of electricity by burning biogas. This is derived from waste food, which is processed through an anaerobic digester. Surplus electricity is exported to the grid under Cannington Cold Stores’ Feed In Tariff (FITs).  The excess heat from the CHPs is then used to feed the digesters to run the biogas generation process. 

The family-owned business provides frozen, chilled and ambient storage down to -25°C. The energy demand in maintaining these temperatures across such a large site prompted Cannington Cold Stores to look at an onsite solution that would not only improve its carbon emissions but cut energy costs. 

CHP units capture excess heat produced in electricity generation, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere, and offer an efficient solution to cutting energy costs and generating energy in an environmentally responsible way.  

The use of food waste to generate biogas means that landfill is avoided, reducing potential methane damage to the atmosphere. By using the waste onsite, transportation to remove it is avoided, cutting emissions from multiple vehicle movements, reducing congestion and limiting vehicle noise.

The biogas is a carbon neutral fuel that delivers renewable benefits for Cannington Cold Stores, boosting the company’s environmental performance, lowering the carbon footprint and enhancing its corporate responsibility criteria.

Tim Roe, director of Cannington Cold Stores said: "By installing a 2MW biogas CHP, we have been able to stabilise our unit costs for all electricity consumed. The service that Veolia had previously provided led us to turn to their expertise again, for advice on installing a new system to keep up with our vast energy demands.”