Demand Response Incentives for Agriculture and Food Processing

Food processing encompasses businesses of all sizes and can be very electricity-intensive. Food processing plants should to take advantage of the financial rewards that PG&E’s Demand Response programs offer without impeding production. By focusing on lighting, cooling and process/non-essential equipment, your company can earn significant incentives. Agriculture customers can also focus on cooling as well as refrigeration as a way to participate in a demand response program.

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Energy Reduction Strategies

Dairies
- Pre-cool, then float or cycle refrigeration.
- Shift irrigation tasks to take place before or after an event.
- Instead of running at full operation, conduct only certain processes and delay the rest until after the event or the next day.
- Turn off barn and yard lights.
Food Processing
- Turn off vertical lifts and conveyor belts and all non-essential process and product transportation equipment.
- Shut down or cycle air compressors, air handlers and ventilation systems.
- Turn off or turn down chillers, and reset chilled water temperature.
- Adjust variable speed drive controls to reduce load from fans, pumps and chillers.
- Turn down, turn off or cycle blowers, pump motors, and any other air circulation motors.
- Pre-cool, then float or cycle refrigeration.
- Reduce or reschedule production.
- Stockpile inventory before an event, stop production during the event and store for packaging processes after the event.
- Move batch and continuous processes to either before or after an event, or to another day.
Greenhouses
- Turn down or turn off any and all greenhouse lights.
- Turn down or cycle cooling fans, ceiling fans, blowers, chillers, or any other air circulation equipment and motors.
- Adjust variable speed drive controls to reduce load from fans, pumps and chillers.
- Shift use of non-essential electrical equipment, such as pumps, fans and ventilation controls, to before or after an event.
Industrial Refrigeration
- Pre-cool, then float or cycle refrigeration. Certain products can safely float for hours.
- Turn down, turn off or cycle evaporator and condenser fans, some or all compressors and all non-essential motors.
- Alternate cooling methods between cold storage areas to lower simultaneous demand.
Wineries
- Turn off or turn down chillers, and reset chilled water temperature.
- Adjust variable speed drive controls to reduce load from fans, pumps and chillers.
- Turn down or turn off pumping equipment, conveyor belts, vertical lifts and all non-essential process equipment.
- Stockpile inventory prior to an event, and reduce production, packaging or storage functions.
- Move batch and continuous processes to either before or after an event, or to another day.
- Decrease use of aerators during an event.