July 11 event marks launch of the world’s largest vanadium flow battery and 37,000 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels
| WHAT: | On Wednesday, July 11,Gills Onions and Duda Farm Fresh Foods will co-host a Produce Energy “Green” Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in Oxnard, Calif. The companies will introduce the world’s largest vanadium flow battery and 37,000 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels, respectively. The zero waste event will feature video tours of the Gills and Duda facilities, onsite project tours and remarks from company representatives and distinguished guests, including Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Gordon Burns, Undersecretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. | |
| Built by U.S.-based Prudent Energy, Gills’ tennis-court-sized vanadium flow battery was installed to build upon the company’s award-winning Advanced Energy Recovery System (AERS) and will further improve the processing facility’s energy efficiency during peak usage hours. Gills’ flow battery stores electricity during lower-cost nighttime hours. During higher-cost peak hours, the Gills facility can rely on the flow battery to generate 600 kilowatts of power for as long as six hours. | ||
| Duda’s 37,000 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels, engineered by Cenergy Power, are the latest addition to the company’s fresh-cut celery facility, opened in 2008. The solar panels will generate 688,000 kWh per year and provide 40 percent of the power for the fresh-cut celery and cooling facility. Installing the panels allows Duda to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 478 metric tons each year – or the equivalent of the emissions from 53,580 gallons of gasoline consumed. | ||
| WHO: | Honored guests: | |
| Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture | ||
| Gordon Burns, Undersecretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency | ||
| Rory Bruton, 4th grader at Lincoln Elementary, agriculture enthusiast | ||
| Representatives from Gills Onions, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, partners, sponsors and federal, state and local government entities also will be in attendance. | ||
| WHEN: | Wednesday, July 11, 2012 | |
| Breakfast reception 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. | ||
| Ceremony 10 a.m. – noon | ||
| WHERE: | Gills Onions | |
| 1051 S. Pacific Ave. | ||
| Oxnard, CA 93030 | ||
| 831-594-7972 | ||
| CONTACT: | Gills Onions | |
| Nikki Rodoni | ||
| 831-594-7972 | ||
| NikkiRodoni@gillsonions.com | ||
| Duda Farm Fresh Foods | ||
| Jennifer Lucado | ||
| 804-675-8176 | ||
| 540-871-3996 (day of event) | ||
| jlucado@crt-tanaka.com | ||
| Prudent Energy | ||
| Trent Duffy | ||
| 202-789-4365 | ||
| tduffy@hdmk.org | ||
Executives from Gills, Duda and Prudent Energy will be available for interviews at the event on July 11, or in advance July 9-10. Filming guidelines for the event as well as photos and B-roll of the technologies are available upon request.
