October 26, 2007

Kettle Foods Powers Potato Chip Facility With Wind Turbines

Potato chip and snack food-maker Kettle Foods has installed 18 wind turbines on the roof of its new Beloit, Wisconsin manufacturing facility, MediaPost reports.

The “architectural wind system” from AeroVironment played a key role in Kettle Foods’ recent receipt of the U.S. Green Building Council Gold level LEED certification.

AV’s system is designed for quick and easy installation onto the parapet of a new or existing tilt-up or pre-cast building, allowing the turbines to take advantage of the building’s aerodynamics.

Assuming normal wind conditions, the 18 wind turbines on the Kettle Foods facility are projected to generate approximately 28,000 kilowatt hours of power each year - enough to produce 56,000 bags of potato chips.

According to Kettle, here are the other green elements of the 73,000 square foot potato chip facility:

• Filtering and reusing 1.65 gallons of potato wash water
• Installing premium, high efficiency equipment to reduce the use of natural gas and electricity
• Offsetting 100 percent of electricity use with renewable wind power
• Converting used cooking oil into biodiesel
• Dedicating five acres to restoration of native prairie land
• Sourcing more than 35 percent of building materials from within 500 miles of the project site
• Protecting indoor air quality with Green Seal building material and extensive ventilation for fresh air
• Providing quality work environments with natural light and outdoor views for all workers

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