TITLE:
Proposals for Energy Efficiency Solutions in the RÍO NUEVO Agroindustry through Biogas, Solar Energy and Thermal Preheating
AUTHORS:
Julio César Zarate Vega, Iván Vera-Romero, José Martínez Reyes, Ignacio Moreno Nava, Agustina Ortiz Soriano, Víctor Manuel Méndez Ábrego, Beatriz Martínez-Pérez
KEYWORDS:
Agribusiness, Organic Waste, Energy Efficiency, Biogas, Solar Energy
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Engineering and Technology,
Vol.14 No.4,
November
2,
2026
ABSTRACT: The energy efficiency project developed at the RÍO NUEVO company in Jacona, Michoacán, whose main objective was to propose sustainable solutions using available resources to reduce the high energy costs of its broccoli and fruit processing, focused on three proposals after a plant visit. The first was the use of organic broccoli waste to produce biogas (with a minimum of 55% methane) to power a 70 kW motor-generator that would operate 10.48 hours a day using 440 m3 of gas. The second was the sizing of a photovoltaic system that, with 962 modules, could generate 30.48% of the total annual consumption, achieving savings of 143616.40 USD ($2872328.00 MXN). The third is the implementation of a solar water preheating system for the boiler, which, by heating from 22˚C to 90˚C, would save 48.3% in LP gas costs. While the study is valuable for integrating solar resources and agro-industrial waste to generate economic benefits and reduce fossil fuel consumption, its implications point out that biogas production is interrupted four months a year due to the seasonality of waste, and that photovoltaic generation is limited by available land.