Range of services – MIWE en-en https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en The magazine for the world of professional baking Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:39:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/01/cropped-favicon-150x150.jpg Range of services – MIWE en-en https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en 32 32 How to Spot Energy Wasters in Baking https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/2023/03/31/how-to-spot-energy-waster-in-baking/ Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:40:00 +0000 https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/2023/01/25/so-spuren-sie-energiefallen-beim-backen-auf/ Highly informative new tool added to the MIWE smart baking suite. The digital solution to monitor and manage baking ovens, MIWE sbs, now comes equipped with a brand-new feature: the sbs:energiemonitor. Such an energy monitor is a welcome addition in times of scarce and increasingly costly energy on the market.]]>

03.03.2023

How to Spot Energy Wasters in Baking

Highly informative new tool added to the MIWE smart baking suite

For over five years now, MIWE customers all over the world have been able to efficiently monitor their distributed bakery systems, especially their in-store baking stations, using a central management tool that lets them optimise their baking processes in a targeted manner. We’re of course talking about the MIWE smart baking suite, “MIWE sbs” for short. It provides all the data from the networked baking ovens and thus allows highly efficient central management, monitoring, synchronisation and analysis of the systems in the field. A dashboard quickly gives the necessary overview for assessing the current overall status; comprehensive reports and key figures provide detailed information on all processes; and administrative and calendar features optimally support the outlet, even remotely.
Conveniently control, analyse and evaluate remotely. This is unbelievably easy with the MIWE smart baking suite. It collects all the data from every connected system, whether in-store or on the production side, and makes it available to the user for evaluation.

At the end of 2022, MIWE equipped this useful tool with another brand-new feature: The sbs:energiemonitor for networked baking stations. Such an energy monitor is a welcome addition in times of scarce and increasingly costly energy on the market.

It not only summarises the actual energy consumption of an oven, but also breaks it down in detail according to different operating states (such as baking, heating/cooling, ready-to-bake, Eco mode, etc.). All this is clearly displayed graphically and numerically across various panels on a dashboard. You can choose between displaying the data as a timeline, as kilowatt hours or directly as incurred costs if your current kW price is stored in the MIWE sbs. This lets you see exactly how long the baking station baked for, how long it ran at a lower standby temperature in MIWE Eco mode, how long it took to heat up or how long it was (and remained) ready to bake.

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You are also shown the products or baking programs associated with these baking times. And finally, you know how much energy has been consumed for each of these – and what it has cost you in detail.

Comparison function makes savings visible

This display, which also includes useful comparisons (e. g. over the days of the week, over the last eight weeks or across different products or baking programs), rapidly shows when and where energy was actually consumed beneficially and where it was not. What’s more, the tool evaluates the impact of block times for preventing baking at certain times of the day.

The MIWE sbs:energiemonitor incorporates “baking efficiency” as a fundamental key parameter. This is the ratio of the real baking time to the total switch-on time. Obviously, an oven that is switched on for several hours, possibly even in a constant “ready-to-bake” state, but only actually bakes for a few of those hours, is not being used in an optimally energy-efficient way.  Depending on the value, this baking efficiency coefficient is depicted using a traffic light system, with red indicating very low efficiency, amber representing medium efficiency and green symbolising good efficiency, so that it is immediately apparent when the efficiency of a baking station is getting out of hand.
Compact and at a glance: the dashboard provides insights into what is happening. The evaluations can be displayed across all networked ovens and even individual decks. The display can be customised to show consumption in kWh or directly in the currency of your choice.

With the "baking efficiency" evaluation, the colour coding makes it clear at a glance where there is potential for savings.

The useful comparison function (here energy consumption over time) quickly shows how improved processes are having an impact on energy use.

So, when it comes to ensuring optimal energy consumption of ovens in shops and outlets nowadays, this is the ideal tool for making fact-based adjustments.

Explore the MIWE smart baking suite

Curious to know more? Then get in touch with us and make an appointment for your individual live presentation about the MIWE sbs:energiemonitor.

Contact us

Technology for central production

From production baking ovens, including loading and transport, to bakery refrigeration technology and energy efficiency systems: our website gives you an overview of our solutions for your bakery and, of course, all the details about our technology for central production.

Talk to our experts

In the mood for change? Are you in the middle of making plans for your production facility, large or small? Then let’s get talking! No matter where you are at the moment or where you want to go – our planning experts will be happy to guide you along the way. We look forward to hearing from you!

]]> With Moderate Cold Comes Great Freedom https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/2023/03/23/with-great-cold-comes-great-freedom/ Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:30:00 +0000 https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/2023/01/25/aus-der-kalte-kommt-die-grose-freiheit/ How to avoid night shifts and supply shortages – all while saving energy, too"At Easter and Christmas, we used to have all of our people on board," recalls master baker Erwin Schalk from Austria. "Nowadays, we send them off on holiday. All the stress is gone". The reason behind Mr. Schalk’s deep sense of relaxation is a shiny...]]>
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10.03.2023

With Moderate Cold Comes Great Freedom

How to avoid night shifts and supply shortages – all while saving energy, too

“At Easter and Christmas, we used to have all of our people on board,” recalls master baker Erwin Schalk from Germany. “Nowadays, we send them off on holiday. All the stress is gone”. The reason behind Mr. Schalk’s deep sense of relaxation is a shiny, 5 x 13 metre object in his bakery that goes by the name of MIWE smartfresh. This specialised bakery refrigeration system has space for 70 rack trolleys – equivalent to a production volume of about 3 to 4 tonnes of bread.
Mr. Schalk's MIWE smartfresh system fits approximately 70 rack trolleys. About 3 to 4 tonnes of bread are stored here in an area measuring 5 m x 13 m.

“We were able to significantly reduce night shifts – and on Saturdays no bread is processed at all,” says Erwin Schalk, explaining the most obvious advantages of the system. This means that if you bake like this consistently, you can offer your production staff the daytime working hours they so desperately want as well as a 5-day week! In today’s world, that’s a huge advantage for many reasons.

Like almost all MIWE bakery refrigeration systems, MIWE smartfresh is built to customer specifications. That means that the dimensions and capacities (and therefore also your options) are highly flexible.
Here’s how it works: Master baker Schalk par-bakes his entire bread loaf range to a core temperature of 96 to 98 °C – preferably in one of his seven MIWE roll-in rack ovens. Then he lets the breads cool down to approx. 35 °C on the racks at room temperature before pushing them into the MIWE smartfresh. There, modern control technology maintains a constant climate of about 3 to 5 °C (here, it is 4 °C) with a relative humidity of about 95 % (here: 98 %). The products remain in this cool, humid storage unit until they are removed on demand. Because of the high humidity, not only do they not dry out, they even accumulate additional moisture over time, which is extremely beneficial when it comes to maintaining freshness. At Mr. Schalk’s bakery, storage times of a maximum of 4 or 5 days are the norm, but he has also tested a loaf after two weeks and it still tasted great.
For the final baking, the breads are then brought to a core temperature of approx. 55 °C. For 500 g breads, this takes 17 minutes and for 1,000 g breads, it’s about 22 to 23 minutes. The final bake for par-baked goods can be done in production, as baker Schalk does, but it can just as easily take place in the individual shops, where it can get done very quickly without any complicated tasks such as defrosting or proofing.

The flexibility to be able to react to peaks in demand over several days with virtually no delay is particularly beneficial for Mr. Schalk. In his particular case, having this flexibility is not only great for his four outlets with traditional delivery business, but also for a very particular group of customers: wine taverns, for which this region of Austria is famous. Although products of his bakery, such as bread by the metre (4 kg rolls), are extremely popular with the many wine taverns in the surrounding area, their very irregular opening hours and thus daily changing orders used to make it difficult for him to plan.

The entire range stays fresher for longer – thanks to bakery refrigeration

Along with the night shifts, this humid storage method has solved yet another problem for baker Schalk. In the past, baking started at 1 a.m. First, the wheat rolls had to be baked before the loaves of breads went into the oven. So at 10 a.m. when a worker sat down to eat his German “Kornweckerl” roll he had bought at 7 a.m., it had already been laying around for up to 9 hours. A scenario where even the best of rolls would flop.  Now, with the dramatically reduced (final) baking times, baker Schalk can first bake his breads in 20 minutes in the morning followed by the wheat rolls. This means that both products stay fresher for much longer.

“And what about hygiene?”, you may ask. Truly the best, according to Erwin Schalk. Because in the MIWE smartfresh, an evaporator, in combination with a specific blue light (with a wavelength clearly outside the harmful UV-C range) with a special arrangement, ensures a reliable environment in which mould growth is strongly inhibited and significantly delayed.

He has not had to do any cleaning with vinegars or put on any special clothing, he says, and there hasn’t been a single instance of mould in a year and a half since it was installed.

A special blue light, outside of the UV-C range, prevents mould from forming. This makes it easy to store products over a long period of time.
By the way: There is a simple reason why baker Schalk only processes his bread loaf range through the system. He determined himself in the test that his wheat buns would need different process parameters than his loaves: lower air humidity. White rolls would certainly benefit here but for that he would first need a second MIWE smartfresh unit.

How does MIWE smartfresh work?

Clear energy advantage compared to alternatives

The energy benefits of the process are obvious when compared to the classic method of freezing, which requires considerable amounts of energy not only for the freezer and storage technology, but also for transport logistics and storage in the outlet. MIWE smartfresh, on the other hand, does not require extreme temperature drops or, in fact, any complex freezing technology at all.
Master baker Erwin Schalk is quite obviously very happy with MIWE smartfresh. Fresher goods, more flexible processes, reduced staff workload – not to mention the energy savings.
Master baker Schalk took a very close look before agreeing to the new procedure. Something that we strongly encourage. He put all the components, including a variety of different oven systems, through their paces with his own raw materials at the MIWE live baking center (LBC) in Arnstein. And on top of that, he commissioned two independent refrigeration specialists to compare the MIWE system with a competitor’s system in terms of technology, applying all the tricks of the trade.

After thorough testing, they both clearly came to the conclusion that MIWE smartfresh was the better system, says Schalk.

That’s exactly how he sees it today.

Curious to know more? Here is where you find more detailed information and technical data. Feel free to contact us and make an appointment for your individual live presentation. 

Contact us

Technology for central production

From production ovens with loading and transport to bakery refrigeration technology and energy efficiency systems. On our website you will find an overview of our solutions for your bakery and, of course, all the details about our technology for your bakery.

Talk to our experts

In the mood for change? Are you in the middle of making plans for your production facility, large or small? Then let’s get talking! No matter where you are at the moment or where you want to go – our planning experts will be happy to guide you along the way. We look forward to hearing from you! 

]]> Continuous Improvement Process, the MIWE Way https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/2023/03/22/continuous-improvement-process-the-miwe-way/ Wed, 22 Mar 2023 08:21:00 +0000 https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/2023/01/25/kontinuierlicher-verbesserungsprozess-auf-miwe-art/ The MIWE roll-in e+ comes with a whole range of attractive new features for the 2022 model year. For over 50 years, the MIWE roll-in has been considered a trendsetter and the centrepiece of rolling production in the bakery. The MIWE roll-in e+ comes with a whole range of attractive new features for the 2022 model year...]]>
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22.03.2023

Continuous Improvement Process, the MIWE Way

For the 2022 model year, the MIWE roll-in e+ comes with a whole range of attractive new features

For over 50 years, the MIWE roll-in has been considered a trendsetter and the centrepiece of rolling production in the bakery. Bakers appreciate its superior baking performance, impressive uniformity, high versatility and, last but not least, its low energy consumption.
While others may rest on their laurels – we at MIWE see this primarily as an incentive to consistently make the MIWE roll-in e+ even better and to keep adapting it to changing customer requirements. That is why, even after the many new features introduced with the last model year, in 2022 the MIWE roll-in e+ is once again coming onto the market with a whole range of enhancements and new functions that will certainly help further increase its popularity with bakers. We will take a look at the most relevant innovations in baking technology.

Topic 1: The steam 

The MIWE roll-in e+ already offers users several steaming options. These include powerful classic baking steam, of course, the special steam for frozen dough pieces for baking directly from frozen, and impulse steam for all those products that require permanent steaming.

Now another type of steam has been added that shows off its special advantages especially when baking tin sets or trays with tight loading: intenso steam.

Scientific background: In the case of very tight loading, a block of cold air can form between the narrow gaps of the tins or trays. Using conventional means, this block of cold air can only be broken up slowly – even with an intensive steam application. This means that condensation in this area is reduced, which most probably leads to uneven products. This is where the intenso steam with multiple bursts of steam and a few timed pulses for circulation provides an effective solution. Even with tight loading, the steam is distributed homogeneously and evenly throughout the baking chamber.

The new, so-called intenso steam shows off its strengths especially well in cases such as this one. It transports the steam directly to the centre of the trays – even when they are loaded tightly, as is the case when baking tin loafes. This leads to more uniform products and higher quality throughout the entire rack trolley.

Topic 2: The energy transition

With the MIWE roll-in e+, bakers could already enjoy an effective method of controlling the energy transfer. We’re of course referring to the ingeniously simple, yet highly effective regulation of the circulated air volume with the help of MIWE aircontrol. However, the variability and the possible range of applications of the rack oven will now be significantly expanded once again by another new function. Starting from model year 2022, MIWE variobake will also be available for the rack oven MIWE roll-in e+.

The basic advantages of MIWE variobake will certainly be familiar to you from our deck oven MIWE ideal. With a finely regulated burner output, the intensity of the energy transfer to the product can be adapted very precisely to the individual requirements of the relevant baked product. This gives you the opportunity to position yourself as a distinctive and independent force in your competitive environment with more unique products with a strong character.

This is now also possible with the MIWE roll-in e+ with a two-stage burner.

MIWE variobake in the MIWE roll-in allows you to bake products in your rack oven that were previously considered totally unsuitable for this kind of oven system. With the 'gentle', 'medium' and 'aggressive' levels, a wide variety of products from puff pastry and Danish pastry to 100 % rye bread benefit from the fine control of the energy input.
In addition to the ‘medium’ intensity level, which corresponds to the previous standard setting, MIWE variobake provides you with two additional levels here: ‘gentle’ and ‘aggressive’.
The ‘gentle’ setting helps puff pastry and Danish pastry products in particular achieve a refined flaky bite, while also offering sponge cakes, pound cakes or eclairs significantly ‘juicier’ baking results. On the other hand, with the ‘aggressive’ setting the rack oven MIWE roll-in e+ can now also be used successfully for products that were previously considered completely ‘unsuitable for rack ovens’ according to traditional doctrine. These are products that need the powerful energy input of a deck oven, especially at the bottom, e.g. rye bread with up to 100 % rye content.
With the MIWE roll-in e+ with MIWE variobake in the ‘aggressive’ position, there is also no spreading here, and instead only the kind of strong bottoms that you would normally rely on a deck oven to achieve.
You can easily imagine that all kinds of artisan breads or small wheat products can also benefit from these ‘stronger’ baking properties, achieving stronger crusts and improved crispness. The baking intensity level settings can be stored directly in the baking programme. However, they can also be selected ad hoc in the control unit. MIWE variobake is available as a licensable option in the new MIWE roll-in e+ for all bakers who expect a powerful competitive advantage in their market thanks to the significantly broader range of applications for their rack ovens and distinctly unique products.
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Topic 3: The booster function

And finally, there is the booster, which is a clever way of regulating and reducing the typical drop in temperature when the rack oven door is opened, thereby enabling baking at higher temperatures. When you activate the booster function, the burner will not switch off even if you open the oven door, but will continue to work (for a certain time). This eliminates the start-up time for the burner that would otherwise be necessary. The heat exchanger is heated to the maximum level, which on the one hand enables much faster batch-after-batch baking and on the other allows products to now be baked in the MIWE roll-in e+ that need a lot of initial heat – for example, pure rye bread baked without tins. The booster function can be stored in the baking programme or called up manually.
With the new booster function batch-after-batch baking it now even faster. It reduces typical temperature drops when opening the rack oven door, as the burner continues to run in the background for a certain amount of time.The booster function is also ideal for products that require high initial heat, such as rye bread, which can even be baked directly on the trays, without using tins.

But it doesn’t stop there

The new MIWE roll-in e+ also offers a whole range of other useful functions (especially from the MIWE connectivity environment) and special simplifications for servicing, which will have a positive effect on your maintenance costs. An all-round harmonious package that once again underscores MIWE’s claim of offering you the best possible rack ovens.
Learn more

Ready to take the new MIWE roll-in e+ through its paces? Reach out to us today and schedule a live demonstration.

Contact us

Technology for central production

From production baking ovens, including loading and transport, to bakery refrigeration technology and energy efficiency systems: our website gives you an overview of our solutions for your bakery and, of course, all the details about our technology for your bakery.

Talk to our experts

In the mood for change? Are you in the middle of making plans for your production facility, large or small? Then let’s get talking! No matter where you are at the moment or where you want to go – our planning experts will be happy to guide you along the way. We look forward to hearing from you!

]]> The Light at the End of the Pipeline https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/2023/03/17/the-light-at-the-end-of-the-pipeline/ Fri, 17 Mar 2023 08:40:00 +0000 https://impulse.miwe.de/en-en/2023/01/25/das-licht-am-ende-der-pipeline/ What happens when there is no more gas? What options do MIWE customers have in the face of looming energy shortages? Due to the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many bakers are asking themselves: What if the gas tap is turned off tomorrow? After all, around two thirds of bakeries in Germany use natural gas as their fuel. And despite significant reductions, around one third of natural gas in Germany still comes from Russia. ]]>
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21.03.2023

The Light at the End of the Pipeline
What Happens When There is no More Gas?

What options do MIWE customers have in the face of looming energy shortages?

Due to the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many bakers are asking themselves: What if the gas tap is turned off tomorrow? After all, around two thirds of bakeries in Germany use natural gas as their fuel. And despite significant reductions, around one third of natural gas in Germany still comes from Russia.

Bakers with oil-fired ovens are also watching the development with concern. There are more supply alternatives for oil than for natural gas, but according to the laws of the market, it can only be assumed that a shortage of one fuel will also affect other fuels in the future. This means that they will ultimately also become scarcer, or at least considerably more expensive – including electrical energy, which by the way, is still generated using gas and oil.

  • So what will bakers have to expect if there is no more Russian natural gas?
  • Are there real, short-term alternatives to the current fossil fuels that could prove to be a promising way out of this predicament?
  • Can MIWE ovens also be converted to these alternative fuels?

 

But above all (and in a much more fundamental sense): What can I do as a baker to effectively counter the cost explosion in the energy sector? These are all questions that are on the minds of many bakers these days and which we, as a leading manufacturer of bakery and oven technology, are also confronted with on a daily basis.

Of course, we cannot predict the future, but we certainly have some answers. We will be presenting these answers throughout the following sections.

Two out of three German bakeries have ovens that are heated with natural gas. This is where the worries and hardships will be felt the most should gas supplies be cut off – but heating oil and electricity would also be affected indirectly.

What would it mean for bakers if there is no more Russian natural gas?

Germany still gets a considerable amount of its natural gas from Russia. In 2021, the figure was 51 % and in April 2022 it was about 35 %. By the end of 2022, the share of Russian natural gas is expected to drop even further to about 30 %. But even then, a stop to the Russian supply stop would have serious repercussions, especially where gas is needed in large quantities for daily production.

On the other hand, it is important to remember that there is currently a relatively high reserve in the German natural gas storage facilities. At the beginning of June 2022, the level in Germany’s gas storage facilities was over 50 %, which is higher than a year earlier before the war began. With this supply alone, the entire gas consumption in Germany, about half of which flows into industry, trade, services and commerce, could be maintained for about 80 days. Although the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs has shortly reported that there is a disruption in the gas supply in Germany and that it has therefore raised an alert level, there will not yet be an intervention in the general gas distribution.

The supply of basic foodstuffs would take priority in the event of an intervention in the gas distribution. According to the German Federal Network Agency, a general gas supply freeze for bakeries is unlikely.

But what if the alert level, which until recently was “only” on an early warning level, should develop into a veritable emergency level? In other words: Who would get anything if nothing is coming in? In this case, the current German Energy Security Act (Energiesicherungsgesetz) provides for “sovereign” interventions, i. e. regulatory measures, in which the special role of bakeries will certainly be valued. The aim is in fact to “secure the vital need for gas with special consideration for protected customers and minimisation of consequential damage”. With regard to the supply of basic foodstuffs, one may assume, as the German Federal Network Agency currently assures us that bakeries are considered highly relevant to the system and worthy of protection and will therefore be spared from a general gas supply freeze.

Let´s outline the “delivery stop” scenario: 

Currently, natural gas continues to flow, but in reduced quantities. In addition, seasonal stockpiling is on the rise and German policymakers are actively engaged in reorganising the supply infrastructure. If supplies were to be cut off, bakeries would in all likelihood be part of the critical infrastructure considered essential, which would still be on the preferred list when it comes to gas supply. So there is no acute shortage at the moment (yet), and a complete stop on supply for bakers is extremely unlikely.

Are there any viable alternatives? 

Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, many bakers are asking about alternative fuels and possibilities for retrofitting existing baking oven systems. We will address the options currently under discussion in detail.

Liquid gas instead of natural gas

Even though both are fossil fuels and contain the word ‘gas’ in their names, liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas are by no means the same on a chemical level. Natural gas consists mainly of methane (CH₄) and a mixture of other gases. Liquefied petroleum gas is also a gas mixture, but it consists primarily of the hydrocarbons propane and butane (and should not be confused with LNG, liquefied natural gas; for that see the next section).

It is possible to convert MIWE ovens from natural gas to liquid gas in consultation with a burner technician. However, a suitable infrastructure needs to be created on site for storing the LPG. And it remains to be seen to what extent liquefied petroleum gas, which is mainly produced during the extraction of crude oil and natural gas and in the refining of mineral oil, will actually be spared the current market turbulence and represent a reliable way out of the current situation.

LPG is easier to transport than natural gas, which relies on a piping network. But this requires a suitable infrastructure (on site) for transport and storage. In addition, it remains uncertain to what extent the product, which is directly dependent on natural gas and crude oil production, will be spared from market turbulence.

LNG (Liquified Natural Gas)

LNG is not really an alternative to natural gas either, because it is actually just that: natural gas. The difference here is that it is liquefied with a special process under deep cooling and compressed under high pressure to make it easier to store and transport. The advantages and disadvantages are clear. On the one hand, it has a similar high energy density to natural gas and therefore a comparable calorific value. As a ‘liquid’ it is also no longer dependent on pipeline systems that are laid tens of thousands of kilometres over land or under water and can dry up overnight.

LNG is highly compressed (and purified) natural gas in a ratio of 1:600. This makes it easier to store and transport and creates a higher calorific value. But liquefaction only occurs at temperatures around -162 °C and is associated with high energy input.

Storage and delivery can take place in special tanks and is therefore flexible in a way similar to petroleum – provided that the appropriate delivery terminals are available for acceptance in Germany. Deliveries can then be made from various parts of the world, including from reliable partners such as the USA. However, this fuel also has its downsides, especially in terms of sustainability. Firstly, much of the LNG that is to arrive in Germany in the future is produced in the USA through fracking. Hydraulic fracturing is highly controversial and has been banned in Germany for several years.

Harmful chemicals (which can find their way into drinking water) are used to break up rocks underground and bring the gas to the surface. This gas is then cooled down to -161 °C to -164 °C using a great deal of energy. Long-distance transport further tarnishes the environmental balance of LNG.

The LNG infrastructure in Germany and Europe is currently only under construction, but it is being driven forward with a high priority. MIWE ovens can also be heated with LNG without any issues with only a minor conversion of the burner nozzle. The flue gas routing can remain unchanged.

Hydrogen (H₂)

Hydrogen is often seen as the solution to many energy problems, but its production is currently not yet sustainable to the extent that demand would require. At the same time, it is already mixed with natural gas in small quantities. The share will be about a quarter by 2025.

Suppose there was a basic substance that occurs more frequently in the universe than any other, and yet has three times as much inherent energy as petrol or heating oil. Wouldn’t that be a great approach to solving our dilemma? It certainly would! That substance is called hydrogen.

When we talk about alternatives to and independence from fossil fuels, the only option is of course ‘green’ hydrogen, which is produced from water by electrolysis – ideally using renewable energies. So-called ‘grey’ hydrogen, on the other hand, is itself only produced from fossil fuels, e. g. natural gas that is split into carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and is therefore not a true alternative once natural gas becomes a scarce resource.

Hydrogen has been considered the energy carrier of the future for some time now. It burns without CO₂ emissions and is theoretically available in almost unlimited quantities. However, anyone who remembers their chemistry lessons also knows that the smallest and lightest of all chemical elements is quite challenging to transport and store. The high energy density leads to a great risk of fire and explosion.

Hydrogen is already being used in bakeries today, which many users may not even be aware of. Hydrogen is already being added to natural gas in small quantities. This proportion of hydrogen in natural gas is to be continuously increased and will amount to about 20 % by 2025. MIWE baking ovens are already designed for this admixture. When even higher admixtures come, it may be necessary to adjust the burners. The high energy density mentioned leads to a higher flame temperature, which – depending on the case – may also mean that a combustion chamber has to be replaced. The flue gas routing will remain unchanged one way or the other.

But what about higher admixtures or even pure hydrogen as a fuel? In fact, there are initial research projects that are testing “H₂” burners in the performance class commonly used for production baking ovens – but there is still a long way to go before they are ready for the market. MIWE customers can rest assured, however, that they will be among the first to be offered hydrogen technology once it is ready for the market. In terms of pricing, it is expected that green hydrogen will only be competitive in 2030 at the earliest – strongly dependent on the price of electricity.

E-Fuels

Electrofuels, or e-fuels for short, are synthetic fuels produced from water and carbon dioxide using electrical energy – ideally from renewable sources (power-to-fuel). They have the same properties as their natural fossil counterparts, for example petrol, diesel or paraffin, and their combustion also produces just as many environmentally harmful exhaust gases as conventional fossil fuels.

E-fuels are very close to conventional fossil fuels in their properties. They are produced from water and carbon dioxide with the help of electrical energy. This is energy-intensive and causes the well-known environmentally harmful exhaust gases during use.

E-fuels are very close to conventional fossil fuels in terms of their properties. They are produced from water and carbon dioxide with the help of electrical energy. This is energy-intensive and causes the well-known environmentally harmful exhaust gases during use.

These fuels can be stored and transported as usual – and incidentally also used like their fossil counterparts in MIWE oven technology without any further adjustments. The drawback is obvious: production consumes a lot of electricity, which means it is extremely energy-intensive and therefore expensive. Depending on the origin of the electrical energy used, the energy balance of e-fuels is usually very poor, because the energy losses during production are also high. In other words – in practice, hardly a convincing alternative at the moment.

Photovoltaic (PV)

Do you have a space in the sun? Lots of space? To be more precise: A whole lot of space? For example, in the field next to your bakery? Or on a large roof of a hall? Then a photovoltaic system might be a solution for you. To give you at least a ballpark figure when it comes to the space requirements: 

If you wanted to heat a MIWE roll-in (1.0608) rack oven in 1-shift operation with electrical energy obtained from a photovoltaic system, you would need almost 1,000 m² of PV surface area, given the power yield of today’s solar cells. If you do not want to be dependent on the time of day, i. e. the current position of the sun, for your production planning, you also need appropriately dimensioned buffer storage, which can quickly become quite expensive.

Despite all the energy efficiency, there is still quite a lot of electrical energy required to run an oven – and the corresponding space would be needed to generate it. But idyllic sunsets also pose a problem in this picture. If baking is done at night, you will also need appropriately sized energy storage units.

Despite all the energy efficiency, there is still quite a lot of electrical energy required to run an oven – and the corresponding space would be needed to generate it. But idyllic sunsets also pose a problem in this picture. If baking is done at night, you will also need appropriately sized energy storage units.

So, from the perspective of climate protection, photovoltaic technologies are without question always a great thing. They can make a significant contribution to reducing your electricity costs – and the electricity generated can be used for a wide variety of energy consumers in your bakery. It truly is the most universal form of energy of all the options. If you want to operate oven technology with it, you should ideally rely on electrically operated systems in your facilities and have very large areas available for installing the PV elements.

Pellets (aka: wood chips)

Wood pellets or chips are considered sustainable because wood is a renewable resource. They are also often described as CO₂-neutral because when they are burned, only as much CO₂ is released as was bound during the growth of the wood – albeit in a much shorter time, which makes the overall calculation questionable in the eyes of critical observers!

Originally pellets were pressed from sawdust residue. Today's demand is far too great for this, so in the meantime other wood that is not suitable for lumber is also used. Interesting fact: The energy required to compress the pellets is very low for dry wood in comparison to the energy content.

Wood is also (as we have painfully learned these days) a very limited resource, and its combustion generates quite a high level of particulate matter – it is no coincidence that the requirements of the German Wood Stove Ordinance (Kaminofenverordnung) are becoming more and more stringent with each amendment. If the pellets are to be used directly to heat the flue gas in the baking chamber – as is the case with gas or oil – a proper solution to the ash problem would also have to be found, which is why we do not currently consider direct heating with pellet burners to be a convincing alternative to clean-burning energy sources. On the other hand, these kinds of solutions are conceivable for indirect heating – for example in a central boiler room.

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Summary of alternative fuels

The summary shows that while there are alternative fuels that could be used quickly without any major conversions, such as LNG, LPG or e-fuels, they are all either waste products from the production and processing of classic fossil energy sources and/or they require such a high energy input that they are likely to cause even far higher energy costs than conventional energy sources. On the one hand, the promising fuel option of hydrogen is fraught with not insignificant safety risks, and on the other hand, it is not yet truly usable within a short period of time considering the requirements of bakeries. Special solutions may mark a viable path in individual cases, for example if bakers with their own forest plots behind their bakery can sustainably heat their boiler centres with wood pellets, or other bakers have so much roof and open space available that they can rely on solar electricity as a fuel.

In any case, there is no magic wand that could be used to help all bakers out of a looming supply dilemma in the short term without major expense. But this doesn’t mean that bakers can’t do anything to counter the impending cost explosion in the energy sector.

What you can do today

The key to reducing costs in a bakery is saving energy consistently. The advantage here is that it is effective regardless of the energy source used, be it gas, oil, electricity or an alternative fuel. And that is all the more worthwhile the more expensive energy becomes. The use of more efficient systems and an efficient energy recovery concept, as well as optimising operational processes, generally offers much greater savings potential than simply converting existing technology to other fuels.

We at MIWE have now been dealing with the different sustainability options for more than 13 years and, in addition to individual energy recovery products, offer comprehensive advice for customised energy concepts to suit every need.

How can we be so sure of all this? Because since establishing the MIWE energy business segment in 2009, we have assisted more than 220 companies in reducing their emissions and energy costs through our heat recovery solutions, helping them save a total of more than 75,000 tonnes of CO₂ to date. Added to this are several megawatt hours of total energy savings from our many customers who have opted for the energy-saving e⁺ solutions (current figures: Sustainability at MIWE). It is for good reason that MIWE is considered a pioneer and the clear technology leader in the field of energy-efficient bakeries.

One component of saving energy can indeed be investing in new, highly energy-efficient system technology, e. g. in the rack oven MIWE roll-in e⁺ or in the fully automatic proofer MIWE GVA e⁺. This is especially true if the existing systems are already getting on in years. Experience shows that the most valuable energy in a cost-cutting initiative is the energy that doesn’t have to be used in the first place.

MIWE awards the e⁺ seal of quality exclusively to those products that make a sustainable contribution to saving energy.

Another approach here can be to retrofit the existing system technology with efficient systems for energy recovery in order to increase the overall utilisation rate of the energy used. The first technology that should be mentioned here is the MIWE eco:nova, the universal, highly efficient recovery system for oven systems. This makes it possible to recover about a quarter of the energy costs spent when baking. It is so efficient because it uses the energy of flue gas AND steam – and separately at that – depending on how physically advantageous it is. Thanks to constant forced extraction, it also improves draught conditions and with it usually also the baking results.

The control system on the MIWE eco:nova clearly displays the producers and consumers, but more importantly it also shows the energy saved every day.

If energy is primarily to be recovered from the flue gas, the MIWE eco:box is an alternative that is available in a variety of sizes and performance classes for ovens and central heating boilers. However, even the best energy recovery is useless if it is not integrated into a sensible utilisation strategy. After all, it won’t help if hot water is dripping out of your recovery unit around the clock if you have no use for it. That means that when designing the recovery system, it should already be clear what the recovered energy can be used for – and whether this can be feasibly demonstrated for use both in the winter and summer. Because only then will the amortisation calculations, a given at MIWE, make sense.

It may be good to point out here that in our projects with customers, we have never promised more than we are actually able to deliver to them. That’s the kind of professionalism and fairness that makes the difference.

Of course, you will see the greatest benefits if an energy monitoring system such as MIWE eco:control is installed at the same time, which can record and visualise all energy flows in the bakery. Based on these energy protocols, an experienced analyst can immediately recognise situations and constellations where significant energy savings are possible.

A lot of potential energy can often be increased through process changes. A process like MIWE smartproof can help with this.

Often, the first valuable clues come from simply taking a closer look at what is happening in the bakery. Are the ovens ready to bake right on time or far too early? Is the energy in the residual warmth in the ovens or baking chambers used consistently? Do the ovens also switch to eco mode when baking is finished? It may also be possible to increase energy potential through process changes: 

If you have been using refrigerated trucks to deliver your products from central production to the shop for baking, a process such as MIWE smartproof could be a beneficial idea for you.

Immediately after dough processing, the dough piece is rapidly cooled on boards to a temperature of around +6 °C (in the MIWE SF-D), which means it can be stored for up to 36 hours and can be transported to the branch for baking without the need for cooling. Do you freeze uncooked or cooked dough pieces? Similar to heating, cooling requires more energy for each degree removed from the ambient temperature – but especially for the phase transition at 0 °C. So instead of freezing products for storage, keeping products in the low positive temperature range (for example by using the scheduled proofing feature in the fully automatic proofer MIWE GVA) can already produce an adequate shelf life and even improve the taste and quality thanks to the continued enzyme activity.

Instead of freezing dough pieces, the MIWE smartproof process and the MIWE SF-D can save energy and money at several different points.

In any case, the options for doing something concrete are as diverse as the product ranges and production concepts found at bakeries themselves. The easiest option to implement – switching to a different fuel, for example – is not necessarily the most effective solution. Other approaches involving changes in processes, recipes or process parameters, usually do mean increased effort initially, but afterwards usually bring much more in returns.

This is why it is a good idea to work with partners who have the expertise in baking technology needed as well as the technical knowledge when it comes to measures that can be taken to reduce energy costs. Because that is the only way to achieve what is ultimately the decisive factor in your success: better baking, better business.

To product site of the energy recovery system MIWE eco:nova

Curious to know more? Then contact us and find out more about MIWE energy products.

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Technology for central production

From production ovens with loading and transport to bakery refrigeration technology and energy efficiency systems. On our website you will find an overview of our solutions for your bakery and, of course, all the details about our technology for central productions.

Talk to our experts

In the mood for change? Are you in the middle of making plans for your production facility, large or small? Then let’s get talking! No matter where you are at the moment or where you want to go – our planning experts will be happy to guide you along the way. We look forward to hearing from you!

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