Grower The Summer Berry Company has announced plans to offer its customers a year-round supply of strawberries, sustainably produced in the south of England.
The shift from the typical April to October season to continuous production had been made possible thanks to investment in a produce heat and electricity energy solution for 16 hectares of TSBC’s glasshouse site in Chichester, it said.
TSBC partnered with Ebtech Energy Systems to develop a green energy solution.
This solution will reduce the site’s reliance on fossil fuels and incorporates a combined heat and power plant, a state-of-the-art combined water/air source heat pump, a site-wide heat network and LED lighting.
The heat network will also incorporate a two million-litre heat storage, which will further displace gas boiler heating.
It will also allow TSBC to benefit from providing “demand side response” capability to the electricity grid.
Once it is operational, the green energy solution will reduce the overall spend on energy by around 40%, cut CO2 emissions by 20%, and allow the site to provide extensive additional lighting to the crop in winter.
“This solution tackles UK-based retailers’ concerns regarding the fruit quality of imported strawberries during winter, which in turn proves to be a more sustainable option, as it reduces the carbon footprint of transport”, said David Sanclement, CEO of TSBC.
The company has projected carbon saving of a further 1,300 tonnes annually.
This is parallel to other long-term initiatives already in place including solar and wind power, which will allow the site to reach net zero by 2030.
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