Harvesting power the Cummins way

Varegro of Belgium is using a Cummins HSK78G gas generator to power its commercial greenhouse in Oostrozebeke, West Flanders, making it the first in the world to be installed in a greenhouse environment.

Varegro, which has been harvesting for more than 15 years to become one of the largest export companies in Belgium, selected the newly launched HSK78G to provide Combined Heat and Power (CHP) to the energy-intensive facility.

The CHP installation provides thermal and electrical energy as well as CO₂ for a greenhouse premises totaling 40,000 sqm.

The HSK78G generator offers an electrical efficiency of 44.2%, which leads to greater fuel savings by turning waste heat into productive energy. In an energy-intensive greenhouse environment its total return is greater than 100% and Varegro can use this reliable power source to flexibly meet its own energy needs. The electricity that is produced can be used for lighting, the heat produced by the genset for heating and the exhaust gasses are cleaned and used for CO2 fertilization.

The surplus of the electricity that is being produced at the facility is then sold back in a flexible manner to the grid network, which offers greater financial savings for Varegro.

Stefan De Wit, Project Manager, Cummins Power Generation, said: “The CHP installation with the HSK78G gas genset at the facility is designed to provide reliable power, regardless of the quality of the natural gas source or the climate. With the addition of the exhaust gas heat exchangers and heat condensers, low and high temperatures can be recuperated achieving a total efficiency of 103%.

“It is a custom-made CHP solution offering maximum efficiency with the greatest possible cost savings to the customer.”

Varegro’s Carlo Van Hove said: “Total efficiency design and process knowledge were the deciding factors when choosing this solution from Cummins. The benefits of this cogeneration unit will deliver higher efficiency compared to previous installation, and thanks to its heat buffer, we can also influence the variable energy market and support the stability of the network.”

Cummins is responsible for the project’s full maintenance which is critical for the longevity of the CHP installation. Highly qualified technicians and specialists working around the clock ensure the installation runs continuously with limited downtime therefore increasing total profitability.