Müller Milk & Ingredients has announced a new trial of different technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of its HGV fleet.
The dairy giant has announced tests to find out whether solar panels and kinetic energy can power its refrigerated HGV trailers as an alternative to refrigeration powered by diesel engines.
Müller has partnered with Sunswap to trial the delivery of fresh milk using refrigerated trailers that are 100% powered by free clean energy collected by the solar panels.
The business has also trialled a refrigerated trailer system powered by kinetic energy in partnership with Carrier Transicold. The company produces the Carrier Transicold Vector eCool, which converts energy generated by the trailer axle and brakes into electricity, which is then stored in a battery pack to power the refrigeration unit.
The trials aim to establish whether renewable energy solutions with a lower carbon footprint would allow the business to maintain its quality and service levels, which sit at about 99% in 2023.
The Sunswap system is predicted to eliminate all diesel, saving 3,700 litres and nine tonnes of carbon every year. Meanwhile, the Carrier Vector eCool system would eliminate all carbon emissions associated with traditional refrigeration units operating with an auxiliary engine.
Following completion of the trials, the business will consider further testing or a wider rollout through its network.
“We are unique in that the vast majority of our logistics operations are in-house, giving us the ability to work with our customers, and throughout the supply, to find the right solutions,” said Dan Hamby, head of distribution at Müller. “As we look to deliver a better dairy future, we will continually innovate to reduce our impact.”
Müller has also trialled fully electric shunt vehicles within its Manchester dairy and is now considering a full rollout of the electric shunt vehicles at the site, with each vehicle saving an estimated 3,700 litres of diesel each year and nine tonnes of carbon.
Enhanced driver training and higher capacity vehicles are also in place to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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