Official Start of Turkey Hill Dairy Wind Turbines

Turkey Hill Dairy, maker of the nation's fourth largest-selling premium ice cream and top-selling refrigerated iced tea, has announced it 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 partnership with PPL Renewable Energy and Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA), the Frey Farm Wind Turbine project includes two wind turbines with a combined capacity of 3.2 MW that will generate about 25 percent of Turkey Hill Dairy's annual electricity needs. That equals enough power to produce six 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. Over 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 Turkey Hill Dairy President Quintin Frey. "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 on October 28, 2010. After finalizing the installation, the wind turbines officially began producing power on January 10, 2011.

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 equivalent annually to any one of the environmental efforts listed below:

• Removing 1,000 cars from the road
• Reducing gasoline consumption by 600,000 gallons
• 12,000 fewer barrels of oil imported into the United States