Food manufacturer Birds Eye UK & Ireland has said it is “powering more than just peas with sunshine now” as it turns to solar to help run its transport refrigeration.
In a LinkedIn statement, the company said it had teamed up with Sunswap to use renewable energy for its trailers transporting goods across its supply chain. The move is part of the business’s existing partnership with shipping and logistics firm DFDS.
Battery and solar-powered refrigerated trailers will help Birds Eye eliminate around 24 tonnes of CO2 annually while maintaining the precise temperature control that frozen food demands, according to Sunswap, which said its “zero-emission ‘Endurance’ units will be cooling those iconic peas using the same sun that helps grow them”.
Roof-mounted solar panels, paired with battery storage, will be used to generate the power needed to keep the refrigeration on – and reducing the organisation’s reliance on fossil fuels for its transportation as a result.
Environmentally-themed messaging will be displayed on the units as Birds Eye looks to increase consumer awareness about solar power during its business-as-usual activity.
Specifically, the new trailers will be in operation between Birds Eye’s manufacturing facility in Lowestoft, Suffolk and its central distribution site in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.
Shaun Smith, general manager at Birds Eye UK & Ireland’s, commented: “Sunswap’s proven electric technology enables us to maintain the highest standards of temperature-controlled transport while helping reduce our carbon emissions.
“It’s fitting that the technology we’re now using to support the running of these trailers uses the same sun that ripens our peas to perfection in the field, keeping our products frozen at their peak as they start their journey to millions of UK homes.”
Technology retailer Currys has also experimented with solar power in its fleet, using it on trucks in partnership with Trailar. Ikea, too, has trialled solar-powered cargo bike delivery with Sunrider.
[image credit: Green Retail World]
