Turkey Hill Taps Power of Wind
Turkey Hill Dairy will now receive a quarter of its annual electricity needs from the new wind turbine power project at neighboring Frey Farm on Turkey Hill along the banks of the Susquehanna River in southeastern Pennsylvania.
In partnership with PPL Renewable Energy and Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, the Frey Farm Wind Turbine project includes two wind turbines that will generate about 25 percent of Turkey Hill Dairy’s annual electricity needs. That equals enough power to produce 6 million gallons of ice cream and 15 million gallons of iced tea each year.
February 2011 marked the first full month the wind turbines were online and producing power. More than 769,677 kilowatt hours of electricity were generated, providing 32 percent of the dairy’s electricity needs for the month.
“We are so excited by our new use of wind power and all the opportunities that reduce our environmental footprint,” said Quintin Frey, Turkey Hill president. “Our support for renewable energy stems from our strong commitment to a sustainable future in Lancaster County and all of the communities we serve across the United States.”
The wind turbine venture is just one of the projects undertaken by the dairy’s sustainability program instituted in 2003. Program initiatives include waste recycling and reduction, decreases in fuel usage through reduced transportation loads and distances, cuts in packaging material, and the use of steam power, which provides at least 75 percent of the dairy’s hot water needs.
All the power generated by the twin General Electric wind turbines will be purchased by Turkey Hill Dairy. The turbines were installed last October and began producing power on Jan. 10.
According to PPL Renewable Energy, generating the same amount of electricity using fossil fuels would add about 5,900 tons per year of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is said to be equivalent annually to removing 1,000 cars from the road, reducing gasoline consumption by 600,000 gallons or importing 12,000 fewer barrels of oil into the United States.
For more information, visit www.turkeyhill.com/green and www.pplrenewableenergy.com.
Owned by the Kroger Co., Turkey Hill Dairy produces the fourth largest-selling premium ice cream brand and the top-selling refrigerated iced tea brand in the nation.