Distributed Refrigeration: The Benefits of Ammonia Refrigeration Without the Risk

The majority of industrial refrigeration systems in the U.S. are central-station ammonia systems—the backbone of the food and beverage industry. For over 100 years, these ammonia systems have dominated the industry because they not only have superior thermos-physical properties, but also because they’re environmentally friendly. Ammonia has a global warming potential (GWP) and ozone depletion potential (ODP) of zero.

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The Evolution of the Refrigeration Environment

The overwhelming majority of climate scientists not only believe in global warming, but believe human activity is to blame. Whether you personally believe this or not, government bodies do. Over the past 30 years, international and national regulatory agencies have responded with legislation that fosters a more sustainable planet. And the attempt to phase out harmful chemicals—including refrigerants—has been constant.

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Eco-friendly Packaging in the Food and Beverage Industry: Types & Benefits

Food for Thought is celebrating its two-year anniversary this month, and one of our very first blog posts is one of the most popular to-date. In April of 2013, I wrote a piece titled “Food Companies Go Green With Eco-Friendly Packaging,” discussing its different types and benefits. Eco-friendly packaging is something that’s only gained more steam as time has passed.

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How CALGreen is Impacting Design and Construction Practices

To incorporate sustainability into building construction and design, California established the California Green Building Standards Code—known as CALGreen for short. As the first statewide green building code in the United States, this code’s voluntary and mandatory measures aim to reduce environmental impact during and after construction while increasing buildings’ efficiency in materials and energy usage. As a food manufacturing and/or storage facility owner, you should understand that CALGreen is changing the way the building industry does business.

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Five Steps in Energy Modeling to Make Your Building More Efficient

This week, we welcome guest bloggers Thulasi Narayan and Andrew Lee from Paladino and Company. Paladino is an industry leading green building and sustainability consulting firm with a team of architects, engineers, building scientists, commissioning agents and business analysts who advise companies on energy efficiency. Stellar often partners with Paladino to estimate energy performance, help develop energy reduction strategies and track estimated performance against the project’s energy goal during the design process.

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A Conversation With Powerit Solutions® About Energy Management Technology

I recently sat down with Jack Perkins, Director of Channel Development for Powerit Solutions®, to discuss ways the food and beverage industry can benefit from energy management technology. Stellar often partners with energy experts such as Powerit Solutions to provide clients with a full range of tools to increase energy efficiency.

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Top Five Implications of California’s New Energy Standards

Energy consumption is a global issue and California is leading the charge in enacting legislation to reduce our carbon footprint. The state recently revised the energy standards known as Title 24, part 6 of the California Code of Regulations, which will more than likely affect other states in the future. The goal of Title 24 is to reduce energy use and make commercial and industrial buildings more efficient than required by the 2010 Title 24 standards.

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Six Reasons to Consider a CO2/NH3 Cascade Refrigeration System

 Food processors and distributors are under constant pressure to produce more while spending less on operations. For plant owners looking for greener and more efficient secondary refrigerants, a carbon dioxide (CO2)/ammonia (NH3) cascade system is a viable option. In addition to providing 0 ozone depletion potential (ODP) and 1 global warming potential (GWP), CO2/NH3 cascade systems offer several benefits for food processing and low-temp distribution facilities including:

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