Oxnard, Calif. – Gills Onions and Duda Farm Fresh Foods will host an event on July 11th, 2012 to unveil the world’s largest vanadium flow battery and 37,000 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels, respectively. The companies’ latest initiatives highlight the continued growth of Ventura County, Calif., as a sustainable corridor, ripe with innovative, environmentally-responsible practices, particularly within the fresh-cut industry.
Built by US-based Prudent Energy, Gills’ tennis-court-sized vanadium flow battery was installed to build upon the company’s award-winning Advanced Energy Recovery System (AERS) and will further improve the processing facility’s energy efficiency during peak usage hours. Gills’ flow battery stores electricity during lower cost nighttime hours. During higher-cost peak hours, the Gills facility can rely on the flow battery to generate 600 kilowatts of power for as long as six hours.
“Prudent Energy’s flow battery is part of our ongoing commitment to reducing our environmental footprint and we’re excited about this milestone,” said Nikki Rodoni, director of sustainability at Gills Onions. “We understand that adopting sustainable practices is not only the right thing to do, but that it makes our business more efficient.”
Duda’s 37,000 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels, engineered by Cenergy Power, are the latest addition to the company’s fresh-cut celery facility, opened in 2008. The solar panels will generate 688,000 kWh per year and provide 40 percent of the power for the fresh-cut celery and cooling facility. Installing the panels allows Duda to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 478 metric tons each year – or the equivalent of the emissions from 53,580 gallons of gasoline consumed.
“The only way we can continue to provide the freshest, highest-quality produce to our customers and families across the nation is to protect and preserve the world around us. As a family-owned business, Duda takes our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint very seriously,” said Sam Duda, vice president, Western Vegetable Operations, at Duda Farm Fresh Foods. “We are dedicated to finding and implementing sustainable solutions that make sense, so we can better serve our customers and the communities in which we live and work.”
Gills Onions and Duda Farm Fresh Foods will co-host the Produce Energy “Green” Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in Oxnard on July 11 to introduce their latest technologies and celebrate a collective 1.63 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. In keeping with the spirit of sustainability, the invitation-only launch will be a zero waste event. The program will feature video tours of the Gills and Duda facilities, onsite project tours and remarks from company representatives and distinguished guests.
About Gills Onions
Gills Onions, established in 1983, is a family owned and operated grower and food processor with the most innovative fresh onion processing plant in the world. In concert with sister company Rio Farms, the Gill brothers manage more than 17,000 acres of farmland and 300,000 square feet of processing and warehouse facilities. For more information, visit www.gillsonions.com.
About Duda Farm Fresh Foods
Duda Farm Fresh Foods is a major grower, shipper and marketer of fresh citrus and fresh and fresh-cut vegetables with primary locations in Florida, California, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Michigan. Duda Farm Fresh Foods is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DUDA, a family-owned, diversified land company headquartered in Oviedo, Fla. www.dudafresh.com
About Prudent Energy
Prudent Energy is the designer, manufacturer and integrator of the revolutionary VRB® Energy Storage System. Prudent's VRB-ESS® allows utility customers to balance load, bridge generation and regulate voltage and frequency – all in one low maintenance system. Prudent also delivers onsite VRB® systems and services to commercial and industrial companies to reduce their operating expenses and provide backup power. Unlike other advanced energy storage systems, Prudent's VRB® is highly scalable, charges and discharges completely without decreasing power capacity and contains an energy-bearing electrolyte that never wears out. For more information, please visit www.pdenergy.com.
Source: Gills Onions & Duda Farm Fresh Foods
