After a multi-year collaboration with CSIRO, Mars has announced a renewable energy milestone. Mars Petcare facility at Wodonga (Mars Wodonga) in Victoria will become the country’s first large-scale steam-based manufacturing site to operate entirely on renewable energy by 2026.  

In a significant move towards achieving its net zero emissions by 2050 commitment, Mars has announced that its Wodonga pet food manufacturing facility will become the first large-scale steam-based manufacturing site in Australia to deploy a 100% renewable energy solution for both electricity and process steam within the next two years.

"Since we first spoke with Mars in 2019 about their ambitions to decarbonise their process heat operations, we’ve been on a journey of discovery together," says Project Team Leader Dominic Zaal.

"We’ve been their renewable heat technology partner from day one. So, it’s very exciting to now see them deliver a completely renewable solution for their operation by 2026.

"It’s another great example of a company taking a leadership role in the industrial decarbonisation space."

To underpin Australia’s energy transition, CSIRO undertakes a wide range of research on a wide range of solutions. These include concentrated solar thermal (CST) and associated thermal energy storage (TES) technologies.  

Through CSIRO’s management of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI), which Zaal leads, CSIRO is working to make thermal technologies more efficient and competitive.

Craig Sargeant, General Manager of Mars Petcare Australia and New Zealand, was joined by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a tour of the Wodonga site while sharing his enthusiasm for the ground-breaking initiative, which aligns with the company’s broader global net zero by 2050 ambitions.

“We are incredibly proud to announce that Mars will be the first manufacturing facility of its kind in Australia to deploy a 100% renewable energy solution within two years,” says Sargeant.

“Decarbonising site-based process heat, coupled with Mars Australia’s 100% renewable electricity use, is a significant achievement that not only reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainability but also positions our Wodonga facility as a leader in green process heat manufacturing on a national scale.”

The $39.3 million Mars Wodonga Solar Thermal Plant will spearhead this transition, including the installation of an 18-megawatt Parabolic Trough Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) plant that will provide up to 10 hours of thermal energy storage for cooking pet food.

The project, which includes a $17.2 million grant from the Australian Government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), marks the first commercial deployment of parabolic trough CST technology in Australia.

"Thermal energy storage is a key component of the work program at ASTRI, which has been funded by the ARENA since 2012," says Dr Dietmar Tourbier, CSIRO Director of Energy.

"One of CST’s major benefits is its ability to store large amounts of thermal energy cost effectively, sufficient to generate over 15 hours of continuous renewable energy. This heat can be used for overnight steam production or electricity generation.

"We have also been collaborating with industry on electrical thermal energy storage (eTES) systems to displace gas for steam-based manufacturing processes."

This work led to the installation, in mid-2023, of an eTES demonstration system by Graphite Energy at Mars Wodonga that delivered significant savings.  

The cornerstone of Mars Wodonga’s thermal emission displacement efforts is a $39 million CST project.

With CST, mirrors concentrate sunlight onto a targeted location at high temperatures. The heat is captured, stored and dispatched on demand. This can be in the form of steam to generate electricity via a turbine or used directly for a wide range of industrial process heat applications.

At Mars Wodonga, this involves the installation of an 18-megawatt Parabolic Trough CST plant providing between four and 10 hours of thermal energy storage. The project is jointly funded by Mars and ARENA.

"From the beginning of our discussions, CST was identified as the option that would deliver the highest abatement for Mars Wodonga’s available onsite land," says Zaal.

"Although the upfront costs were high, CST was able to generate more renewable energy per square metre than any other technology." 

Image: ARENA and Mars will co fund a 18MW Parabolic Trough CST system at the Mars facility in Wodonga. Photos courtesy of Solarlite.

Clémence Carayol

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