Eggo Waffles Iron Out Cleaner, Greener Energy Source

Kellogg Company's Eggo bakery in San Jose, Calif., recently installed fuel cell technology that generates enough clean, reliable energy to produce approximately half of the facility's annual electrical consumption.  The system also uses less water to generate this power than if it had been supplied by the utility grid. "We're focused on introducing new processes and technology that minimize the environmental impact of our operations," said Diane Holdorf, Kellogg Company's Chief Sustainability Officer. "This new solution is a win-win. We're maximizing our production while creating energy-efficient solutions for making waffles." The fuel cell servers - developed by Bloom Energy - sit on-site to immediately meet the bakery's fluctuating energy demands.  They work by converting natural gas into electricity using a reaction that is more efficient than combustion. Also this year, the San Jose bakery began testing new types of energy-efficient waffle irons which have helped achieve a 15 percent savings on electricity. Adding to the energy savings is that the design of these new grids allows the production of 12 percent more waffles per cycle.