Meat processor Primo Smallgoods is preparing to cover 75 per cent of its Brisbane facility rooftop with solar panels in what's set to become one of Australia’s largest commercial solar energy systems.
The JBS-owned company says the 3.2MW rooftop array at its Wacol plant, which is being constructed in partnership with CleanPeak Energy and Todae Solar, will be Australia's largest, with 9,700 panels taking up the size of more than six football fields.
Last year, Sydney Markets also unveiled a solar car park with almost 1MW of capacity, followed by the addition of an $8.9 million 2.2MW array on the rooftops of the Markets, bringing its capacity to more than 3MW.
Electricity usage at Primo's Wacol site sits at 38,000 MWh per annum, and the solar installation will reduce the electricity usage at Wacol by 19 percent, and will generate 4,869 MWh of power in its first year.
It will also save 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 over 20 years – the equivalent of powering 20,032 homes for one year, according to the company.
Primo said it decided to implement the 3.2 megawatt solar panel system to maintain a sustainable business and future, and adds other sustainable practices in place at the feedlots and processing facilities of its parent JBS, from water consumption, biogas recovery, greenhouse gas reduction, and waste recycling.
Primo Smallgoods Chief Operating Officer Bruce Sabatta said with global meat production being responsible for nearly 15 percent of the world’s carbon emissions, it was time for Primo to promote the sustainability of natural resources while providing quality products that meet the needs of customers.
“In light of our commitment to sustainable business practices, Primo is committed to decreasing the environmental impact of our activities, and the solar installation will reduce our electricity usage at Wacol by 19 percent,” Sabatta said.
“With our new solar panel installation in place, we will use the power generated from the solar panels instead of solely relying on power from the electricity grid.
“JBS globally has set sustainability targets to achieve by 2020. These targets cover water, gas, electricity and greenhouse gas emissions amongst others. As part of the JBS business, Primo has a part to play in the reduction of our environmental impact in Australia.”
Philip Graham, CEO of CleanPeak Energy said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Primo to deliver sustainable power for their operations at the Wacol site.”
“With more than 9,000 panels being installed, the solar PV system will be the largest rooftop system in Australia and will deliver pricing certainty for Primo for years to come.”
