Fonterra has finalized the deployment of a high-temperature heat pump in combination with a solar thermal at its Fonterra Brands New Zealand Palmerston North production site, where it produces fresh white milk for New Zealand’s North Island.
The company, which is one of the largest dairy producers in the world, says the heat pump converts excess heat from chillers and compressors into a heat source.
“We’re really excited about this unique combination of a commercial heat pump and solar thermal plant helping us reduce our gas consumption and emissions output,” said Graham Thomson, site manager for Fonterra Palmerston North.
The new project is expected to reduce the natural gas required by the site and remove 495 tons of CO2e per year, equivalent to taking 140 cars off the road. It is Fonterra’s fourth site to upgrade its energy infrastructure within the last year, as the company works toward its Scope 1 and Scope 2 target of 50% emissions reduction by 2030.
The heat pump and solar thermal plant has secured co-funding from the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry fund, delivered by New Zealand’s Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority.
In March 2023, Germany-based manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions said it was building an industrial-scale heat pump that generates steam without using gas for use at one of Fonterra’s farms.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.