ClearEdge Power, a manufacturer of high-efficiency stationary fuel cells, recently announced that Stone Edge Farm, an organic farm and winery located in California's Sonoma Valley, will be leveraging the ClearEdge5 system to advance its energy efficiency and sustainability goals. What does this mean exactly?
Stone Edge Farm will be using ClearEdge5, a 5-kilowatt fuel cell from ClearEdge Power that combines heat and power in a scalable solution that can meet individual business' specific energy needs. This particular power source does not use traditional combustion technology, but instead uses an electrochemical process to convert natural gas to electricity and heat. Beyond reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 35 to 40%, this system also reduces other pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds, ash and particulates, to trace levels. In total, this system will impressively remove 24,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the environment annually.
The overall picture is that the ClearEdge5 system will allow Stone Edge Farm to be much more than simply organic. Now they'll also be able to manage costs better by significantly reducing the normally high energy costs required to run a successful estate and vineyard. In fact, the vineyard expects to save a whopping 49% on its electricity bill, or more than $250,000 on total energy costs over a 20-year period.
Mac McQuown, proprietor of Stone Edge Farm notes the following:
"At Stone Edge Farm we are committed to making world-class organic wine, while also to serving as an industry steward of sustainable practices in agriculture, farming and conservation. A key to minimizing our impact on the earth is determining energy efficiency best practices that help meet the operational needs of our growing agricultural operations. ClearEdge Power has been instrumental in helping us advance toward this goal by providing a system that significantly reduces our dependence on traditional energy sources while dramatically lowering our carbon emissions."
Organic is good, but organic doesn't always mean sustainable. Stone Edge Farm is taking steps to achieve both organic and eco-friendly goals - which in the long run is healthier for people and the planet - so kudos to them. To learn more about sustainability in organic business, check out the following links:
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