Consumers of the best-selling waffle brand, Eggo, will delight in knowing that their beloved food is now being produced in a more environmentally friendly manner. Kellogg Co. bakery in San Jose, Calif., which makes the toaster waffles, recently installed fuel-cell technology that generates enough clean, reliable energy to produce approximately half of the facility's annual electrical consumption, according to the company. 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," states Diane Holdorf, Kelloggs 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 sit onsite to immediately meet the bakery's fluctuating energy demands. They work by converting natural gas into electricity, using a reaction that’s said to be more efficient than combustion. Also this year, the Kellogg’s bakery began testing new types of energy-efficient waffle irons that have helped achieve a 15% electricity savings. Adding to the energy savings is the design of the new grids: They provide for the production of 12% more waffles per cycle.

Source: www.onlinewsj.com