Editor’s Comments: More Than Just a Side Benefit

Sept. 14, 2012

By Elizabeth Cutright

What if we could have our cake and eat it, too? What if we could encourage business investments, facilitate opportunity, and create thousands of new jobs, all while protecting the environment and making sure our resources can sustain us now and in the future? What if, the definition of “success” could be modified so that our barometers of achievement relied less on dollars and cents, and more on efficient and effective use of our natural resources?

What if we could use less energy and still sustain a vibrant, environmentally friendly economy?

That’s certainly the stated goal of California Governor Jerry Brown’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan. The eight-point action plan highlights investment in renewable energy technology, but also sets out goals for distributed generation, energy storage, and Net Zero Energy Buildings. The hope is that these energy efficiency improvements and the technologies they’ll inspire will lead to the creation of more than half a million green jobs.

As Brown himself acknowledges, “The transition to clean energy is vital not only to our environment, but to our economic future as well.”

The Governor’s plan calls for:

  • Building 12,000 MW of localized electricity generation
  • Building 8,000 MW of large-scale renewables and necessary transmission lines
  • Dealing with peak energy needs and develop energy storage
  • A timeline to make new homes and commercial buildings zero net energy
  • Making existing buildings more efficient
  • Adopting stronger appliance efficiency standards
  • Developing more cogeneration projects to increase combined heat and power production by 6,500 MW

It can be hard to stifle reflexive skepticism when confronted with lofty green energy goals, and we all know that utopian dreams rarely translate into real solutions. But at a time when politicians and pundits seem intent on fracturing the interconnectedness of the everyday citizens, it’s heartening to see a plan that pays equal time to business concerns and environmental consequences.

And it’s even better when you see that plan in action.

In August, I attended the grand opening of the “first-of-its-kind” Greenhouse CHP project located at Houweling’s Tomatoes in Camarillo, CA. Using two natural gas engines and a GE-designed CO2 fertilization system, the Houweling’s cogeneration system will-once the third unit is installed-provide the site with 13.2 MW of energy; all while collecting latent heat from exhaust gasses, reducing GHG emissions, and improving the facility’s energy efficiency and reliability.

But Houweling’s cogeneration system is only one piece of a larger puzzle. The greenhouse site is actually a model of sustainability and responsible business practices. In addition to the CHP system, Houweling’s also harnesses energy from a 5-acre onsite solar panel installation that generates 1 MW off power, and 100% of the facility’s irrigation water is treated and reused. The site also collects and diverts rainwater to a 5-acre pond, and once the cogeneration system is up and running, 9,500 gallons of water per year will be captured through the combustion process.

In 2011, the Governor himself recognized Houweling’s commitment by awarding the site with a 2011 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for “developing environmentally friendly practices while contributing to the local economy” (http://bit.ly/QtjaeD).

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Camarillo, Casey Houweling reiterated the company’s commitment to environmental business practices, while also acknowledging that standing on the cutting edge can be perilous.

“You’re on the bleeding edge,” he said, “and it can be risky. We’ve tripped a few times, and it hurts.”

Nevertheless, Houweling’s feels strongly about efficient resource management. “One thing I really hate is wasting energy. If we do it right, we can fundamentally improve the California economy.”

With virtually no GHG emissions, and little energy or water waste, Houweling’s manages to grow as much produce on its 125 acres as most 3,000-acre farms (based on kilograms/acre/year). The pack house-with its conveyor belts, cooling fans, and cold house-works on a 24-hour clock, churning through 2,000 cases per hour, 12 months per year. This continuous run time is possible because of the facility’s commitment to energy efficiency, a commitment facilitated in part by projects like the new onsite cogeneration system.

At the event, Robert Oglesby, Executive Director of the California Energy Commission, pointed to the Houweling’s site as example of California’s energy future and a validation of “California’s ambitious energy goals and sustainable business practices.”

“This project has the potential to eliminate the need to build more electric utilities, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and increase the energy efficiency and reliability of the grid,” said Oglesby.

Nick Chaset from the California Public Utilities Commission (and Special Advisor to the Governor on all matters related to distributed generation, CHP, and energy Storage) reiterated Ogelsby’s remarks, noting how the project is in line with California’s goal of generating 6,500 MW via CHP by 2020. “This is a representation of how we’re going to achieve these goals in California,” he declared.

And while the project is being heralded as a beacon leading California towards a brighter economic future, the entire nation could benefit by the proliferation of similar projects and installations. Reliable, efficient, environmentally friendly, and economically sound distributed generation shouldn’t be a side benefit; it should be our ultimate energy goal.

Elizabeth Cutright is a previous editor of Business Energy.