The Beneficial Electrification League (BEL) a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting beneficial electrification of the economy, along with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), an organization that represents the legislative interests of electric cooperatives in the U.S., have awarded Hoosier Energy a $25,000 grant to create a project to investigate propane and natural gas savings on poultry farms. These farms utilize waste heat recovery systems and electric technologies that include heat exchangers, automatic controls, data recording and digital monitoring, along with variable frequency drives as opposed to current barn heating technologies not using waste heat recovery.
Hoosier Energy is partnering with GDS Associates for consulting services and Heartland Farm Energy, the equipment manufacturer. Led by GDS Project Manager, Bethany Reinholtz, GDS will calculate the baseline energy use and verify energy savings over the course of 2 years on the farm. Heartland Farm Energy will verify animal health benefits over the course of the study.
This project study will provide unbiased information related to the energy efficiency of waste heat recovery technology and the potential for this knowledge to transition farms toward new beneficial electrification technologies. It also has the potential to determine if there are any additional non-energy benefits to the farm when utilizing waste heat recovery technology as compared to current barn heating methods.
More information on this project: