Founded in 1954, independent metal packaging business NCI Packaging has solar-powered its main site in Preston, Melbourne, after installing 500kW of rooftop solar.
“Sustainability is about first and foremost Co2 reduction, so we looked into solar as our renewable strategy,” NCI Packaging CEO Frauke Tyrrell said.
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“The installation at our site in Preston, Melbourne, enables us toto reduce our energy consumption by 22 per cent. This allows us to lower our carbon footprint exponentially and immediately.”
The company partnered with Australian commercial solar company Smart Commercial Solar and PPA provider Green Peak Energy to complete the installation. The Preston installation is the first in a series of planned solar installations for NCI, with the company setting a target to install 2,000kW across its roofs in Australia by 2023. NCI is also looking into solar installation at their Auckland plant in New Zealand.
“We’re set to install solar on our second site in Melbourne and then in Sydney,” Tyrrell said.
“By 2023, we want to complete the rollout with our site in Brisbane.”
Focused on metal packaging, the Preston production site is producing mainly metal cans for the paint industry. In 2018 it installed a state-of-the-art aerosol line with the use of advanced robotics.
NCI Packaging chose Smart Commercial Solar and Green Peak Energy because together they “were able to put forward a very sound commercial solution that was suitable for our business”, Tyrell said.
NCI leaned on Smart Commercial Solar’s leading expertise in architecting the right solar solution for the company’s needs, with Green Peak Energy’s model of owning the solar array and offering NCI Solar Power Purchase Agreements ensuring that NCI only pays for the energy it generates.
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“What I like is that there’s no upfront capital costs, that it’s something that was cashflow positive for us,” she said.
“The installation was seamless, and we’re looking forward to continuing the partnership as we roll out more solar across our sites in the next few years.”
