Project title: A First Step for Fruit d’Or Towards Solar Energy and the Valorization of Thermal Waste
Type of project: industrial process
SDG(s) relevant to the project: 13
Topic(s): energy efficiency
Product(s): dried cranberries
Project end date and duration: May 2023 (3 years)
Abstract: In 2022, Fruit d’Or set itself the challenge of finding innovative ways to reduce its consumption of non-renewable energy. In partnership with a local engineering firm, a thorough analysis of the company’s energy profile quickly highlighted its most energy-intensive processes and paved the way for innovative solutions.
One of these solutions involved recovering the waste heat from some of its processes to reinject it into processes that are more energy-intensive, notably the heating of its wash water tanks. Heat pumps, partially powered by solar energy, were installed on the roof of our main plant (at Plessisville). These ingenious devices capture the heat generated during the fruit cooling process and then effectively heat the wash water tanks.
Impact and Outcomes: This seemingly simple initiative had a significant impact, resulting in substantial savings of 191 tons of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to the emissions from approximately 46 medium-sized gasoline vehicles per year. Additionally, the saved expense of natural gas typically used for heating wash water allows the company to save $15,000 per year. Fruit d’Or thus marks a remarkable advancement in its quest to successfully integrate renewable energies into its industrial processes.
