Montego Pet Nutrition will reduce its annual electricity demand at its Graaff-Reinet-based production facility by 1.4-million kWh after recently completing a R22m solar plant project at the site.
“Solar power not only helps make a positive environmental impact, but it is an ideal energy solution for us from a cost-saving perspective too, especially because of the favourable climate in Graaff-Reinet,” says Wilfred Cawood, marketing manager at Montego Pet Nutrition.
The solar panel installation will save Montego 24% annually on electricity and has the potential to earn back the company’s investment within the next four years.
Positive environmental impact
“The greatest benefit of going the solar route lies in the positive impact it can have on the environment,” says Morgan Naicker, managing director at SPV Solar. “Simply put, the system we’ve installed for Montego will achieve the equivalent of eliminating the greenhouse gases of nearly 600 motor vehicles on the road annually, or reduce the energy usage needed to power 2,000 computers for a year, or enough energy to operate a TV for over 23 million hours.”
The nine-month project follows closely on the heels of a R70m factory upgrade that Montego implemented in 2018 to meet local and international demand of its pet food, which boosted overall production by 30%.
“Our only limitation to the solar project has been a lack of rooftop space, but there are pipeline plans to build additional infrastructure to accommodate more solar installations and achieve a further 2MW,” says Cawood. “There is also the possibility of a ground-mounted solar structure, which we are discussing as we continue our efforts to ‘go green’ and find sustainable alternatives.”
The final module was installed and completed on 17 May, with the balance of the system the end of May 2019.
