Freedom Foods Group has appointed AEES Group to Project Manage what is believed to be the country’s largest single rooftop solar power installation at our processing operations in Shepparton.
The project named Project Radiant has the objective of complementing our five-year sustainability plan with the primary aim of reducing the energy cost at the site. This will be achieved through the installation of:
i. 4 MW of Solar PV
ii. 2 x 2 MVA Voltage Optimisation (VO) Units on the UHT operations
iii. Energy Storage for the Boiler plant room to eliminate costly production failures.
Energy is a major cost of the business and the three technologies will reduce grid derived electricity by as much as 36%. The Voltage Optimisation will be used to reduce network demand costs while improving power quality. The battery storage is aimed at eliminating costly production failures in the UHT milk line which can occur by as often as eight times a year.
Innovative 3rd party finance has been used where the whole of system is paid for out of savings made from the grid arranged by AEES Group via Energy Ease. The project has been made possible through the support of Regional Development Victoria (RDV) with a significant grant of $1.6 million. RDV’s assistance contributes towards reducing payback on both the renewable and energy efficiency technologies.
Commercial Solar alone is now substantially cheaper than current peak energy grid prices and compliments the grid when the solar production during daylight hours is not available. The project will contribute to Freedom’s sustainability planning with over 5,000 tonnes of carbon offset annually once fully operational.
The design and approvals with the local electricity Network Distributor are underway with AEES Group who are Melbourne-based and are managing the design, procurement and installation of the project on behalf of Freedom. Commissioning is scheduled to occur over three phases commencing early in 2019.
For more information on Freedom Foods Ltd: https://www.asx.com.au/asx/share-price-research/company/FNP
Richard Martin, Managing Dir AEES Group
