Odwalla recently completed installation of five natural gas fuel cells at its juice packaging plant in Dinuba, Calif.
Using technology originally developed for NASA, the 500kW Energy Server will cut the plant's carbon footprint by an estimated 35 percent while supplying 30 percent of the plant's energy needs. The use of fuel cell technology is yet another step in the natural health beverage company's commitment to reduce its environmental footprint. Odwalla announced plans to install the fuel cells from California-based Bloom Energy last year and the installation was completed this month.
"Reducing our environmental footprint and our dependence on non-renewable resources is just as important to Odwalla as making great tasting, nourishing beverages," said Alison Lewis, president, Odwalla in a prepared statement. "In addition to celebrating the completion of our fuel cell installation, we're looking forward to rolling out our innovative PlantBottle™ packaging and kicking off our annual Plant a Tree program later this year."
The innovative fuel cell technology can convert air and nearly any fuel source – ranging from natural gas to a wide range of biogases – into electricity via a clean electrochemical process. Their primary by-products are water vapor, heat and a small amount of carbon dioxide – basically what we humans expel when we breathe. The process is so clean it requires no emission permits.
