Natures Organics goes solar

Natures Organics, a Melbourne-based producer of natural household cleaning and personal care products, has invested almost $3 million in a 1299 kW roof-mounted solar system spanning 17,000 m² to source sustainable energy and reduce the business’s impact on the environment.

The system, designed and installed by Sun Connect, sees over 5000 panels positioned on top of the Cornhill Street manufacturing building, producing around 1800 MWh each year. It is claimed to be the largest privately owned roof-mounted solar power system in Australia, and will reduce Natures Organics’ CO₂ emissions by approximately 750 tonnes per annum.

“We started this project in 2015 so are thrilled to have the system up and running and are delighted to be recognised as the largest privately owned solar power generator in Australia,” said Justin Dowel, Managing Director at Natures Organics.

The vast scale of the project meant that great skill and expertise was required to meet the distribution network service provider’s requirements and ensure the project was connected to the grid. This was managed by Sun Connect Managing Director Mark Tuke, who led the project for Natures Organics.

“The size of the project meant there were nuances in meeting certain requirements, but we adapted quickly to achieve a fantastic result for our client,” Tuke said.

“We are pleased to be working with a truly sustainable company to deliver a large-scale solar solution.”

The initial solar system demonstrates Natures Organics’ serious commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and will be followed by further solar projects. For example, the Sun Connect team is currently working towards creating chargeable batteries that will store excess solar power to fuel 24/7 solar operation for Natures Organics.

“We are passionate about reducing our impact on the planet and as a team are driven to find innovative ways to do this,” said Dowel. “We are proud to be leaders and early adaptors in our industry of solar panel technology and hope that other businesses will follow suit.”