Governor on hand as Frito-Lay starts making chips with sun power

Gov. Schwarzenegger threw the switch Tuesday on the new solar-powered system for making SunChips at the Frito-Lay plant in Modesto.

The governor helped dedicate a five-acre array of mirrors that concentrate sunlight onto tubes filled with water, which in turn becomes steam that heats the cooking oil for the chips.

"Instead of burning natural gas, this plant will harness the power of the Central Valley -- sunshine," Schwarzenegger said.

He spoke to a crowd that included some of the 750 employees of the plant, in the Beard Industrial District, and state and city officials.

Half of the 192 panels started operating Tuesday, and the rest are scheduled to go into service in July. They will supply all of the heat needed for making SunChips, except on very cloudy days, said Al Halvor- sen, director of environmental sustainability at Frito-Lay headquarters in Plano, Texas.

Tuesday was overcast, but Halvorsen said the sun shone brightly enough to heat the water within an hour of the ceremonial flip of the switch.

Schwarzenegger, who flew into Modesto wearing a green tie in honor of Earth Day, reiterated his position that caring for the planet does not have to cost jobs.

"Four years ago, when I ran for governor, people didn't believe you could protect the environment and the economy at the same time," he said.

Schwarzenegger noted that all three major candidates for president have vowed to fight the climate change that could be the result of fossil fuel use.

"The environmental movement is sweeping the nation, from Main Street to Wall Street, and I'm sure it's going to arrive there on Pennsylvania Avenue," he said.

Frito-Lay officials declined to say how much the solar system cost or how much they expect to save on natural gas. The company got $700,000 for the project from the California Energy Commission.

"This project," commission Vice Chairman James Boyd said, "proves that technological innovation can occur not only in Silicon Valley but here in the Central Valley."

Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour said, "They are blazing a trail of innovative ways to harness the power of the sun."

The plant produces about 2,300 pounds of SunChips an hour, said Tim Gonsalves, a plant operations resource officer. The machines run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The plant is one of seven in the nation that make SunChips, a multi-grain snack that got its name long before it was connected with solar energy. The Modesto plant also makes potato and corn chips under other brands.

Al Carey, chief executive officer at Frito-Lay, said its 34 plants have reduced water use by 35 percent, electricity use by 21 percent and fuel use by 24 percent since 1999.

He and other speakers stood about 20 feet from the mirrors -- and between a pair of 20-foot-plus balloons in the shape of SunChip bags. The audience included the plant's "green team," which helps carry out the environmental goals.

"We make sure our plant is green," said team member Linda Lay, who works in security. "We recycle. We reuse."

Lay -- no relation to a company co-founder by that name -- said the employees were thrilled to have the governor visit.

"The solar thing is exciting, and he just added to that," she said.

Bee staff writer Christina Salerno contributed to this report.

Bee staff writer John Holland can be reached at jholland@modbee.com or 578-2385.

This story was originally published April 23, 2008 at 1:42 AM with the headline "Governor on hand as Frito-Lay starts making chips with sun power."