Tomato grower Meer Fresh Products installed 3,100 solar panels on its rainwater tanks. The grower shares the energy generated and its surplus water with nearby meat processing company Comeco.
The result is that both companies now benefit from the new facility.
“The green energy from the solar panels goes to Comeco,” explains Mitch Vermeiren of Meer Fresh Products. “We are talking around 1,400 megawatt hours per year, which is equivalent to the annual energy use of 400 households. Going forward, we will also be transferring the condensate water from our cogeneration units to Comeco. The overflow rainwater in our basins that used to flow into the creek is now also destined for Comeco. We are looking into bringing purified water from Comeco’s production process to Meer Fresh Products for watering our plants.”
Getting more out of solar panels
Hedwig Van Roy, CEO of Connectum, which supplied the floating panels, said, “Solar panels on the water yield more than roof-mounted panels. On a roof, the yield of solar panels drops significantly because of the heat. This problem does not occur on the water, as it helps to cool the panels. What’s more, thanks to the solar panels, less water evaporates and there is less algae formation.”
Mitch Vermeiren: “Our rainwater basins are now completely covered with solar panels and ICOS balls. This allows us to minimize evaporation. According to UA calculations, we save an average of 312,000 liters of water per year using this method.”
“Thanks to the floating solar panels, we save an average of 312,000 liters of water per year.”
Mitch Vermeiren, Meer Fresh Products
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Source: Het Nieuwsblad
