Posted on 04/05/2008 12:32:34 PM PDT by John Jorsett
The Frito-Lay plant in Modesto will start using a new ingredient of sorts to make its SunChips brand snack — the sun.
The company is installing a football field-sized farm of solar collectors next to its plant in the Beard Industrial District, with plans to flip the switch on Earth Day.
The solar field is made up of large curved mirrors that move with the position of the sun, focusing the heat into tubes of glass filled with water. That water is directed into the plant's boiler system, where it will be converted into steam to heat the oil used to cook SunChips.
"This is the first time we're using the technology in this scenario," said Aurora Gonzalez, spokeswoman for Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo. "You normally use natural gas to heat the cookers. This is an alternative. It will generate enough steam to produce the plant's SunChips within a year."
Half of the solar collectors are installed and being tested, with a launch date of April 22. Once the second half of the project is completed in July, about 54,000 square feet of mirrors on five acres will absorb the sun's rays.
Modesto's sun-drenched climate made it a natural choice for a solar farm, Gonzalez said. The Modesto region recorded 306 days in the past year that weren't cloudy or partly cloudy, according to statistics from the National Weather Service.
Seven Frito-Lay plants in the United States make SunChips, but Modesto is the first to use solar power to make the multigrain snack. Plans are in the works to use the technology at a factory in Casa Grande, Ariz., Gonzalez said.
Economic development specialists in Stanislaus County hope other companies will follow Frito-Lay's lead and look to the Central Valley as a place to harness the sun's energy.
(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
I’d like to see an independent audit of this investment. My guess is that Frito Lay is paying through the a$$ for good PR in this project, and that the ROI is negative unless adjusted with a generous assumption about PR/goodwill value.
A curious statement. Does this factor in construction costs, maintenance, and expected lifetime?
The well intended whacko's are about to descend upon your quiet terra firma like an army of engineering carpetbaggers.
BTW, when is Coca Cola and Pepsi going to phase out beverage carbonation? They can rebrand soda into Carbon-Lite versions.
They get their CO2 from the atmosphere so drink fizz isn’t a contributor to atmospheric CO2 increases.
:)
I'm sure that having its own solar system gives Frito-Lay vast tax advantages, but oh, those shipping costs...
Harriman said that while it still costs more per kilowatt for solar power than natural gas, an investment in solar energy pays off in the long run.
"We should be investing in solar even though it is more expensive now," he said. "Over time, the cost of oil and gas and fossil fuels are going to continue to go up."
Translation, we are losing money on the program, even when compared to today's high natural gas prices.
“I’d like to see an independent audit of this investment. My guess is that Frito Lay is paying through the a$$ for good PR in this project, and that the ROI is negative unless adjusted with a generous assumption about PR/goodwill value.”
What you said. Plus they are probably getting Cal. tax credits, plus they were probably threatened.
Do NOT confuse this issue with the facts, what WERE you thinking? Sheesh.
So soft drink beverage companies are carbon profiteers? ;)
I thought the sun was busy putting two scoops of raisins into raisin bran...
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