Bidvest installs WA's largest rooftop solar project
Bidvest Foodservice is recognised as one of the leading foodservice distribution businesses in Australia. Listed amongst Australia’s top 200 companies, Bidvest has developed over 50 business units across multiple divisions specialising in wholesale foodservice, hospitality, fresh food and food logistics.
The company has launched its most significant green initiative with the installation of Western Australia’s largest privately owned rooftop solar power array.
The solar power system, located at the newly constructed, state-of-the-art Bidvest distribution centre at Bibra Lake, Perth, will abate approximately 300 tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to taking 92 cars off the road or powering a NABERS 4 star office space for more than 520 people.
The system consists of 1160 solar panels covering 30% of the roof of Bidvest’s new 9000m2 distribution centre roof. With the capacity to generate an average of 360 MWh of electricity per year, up to 100% of the site’s summer daytime base load will be met through solar. The system was designed and installed by national provider Energy Matters.
Peter Crowe, general manager - marketing for Bidvest Foodservice, said that Bidvest had been successfully working in partnership with Australia’s leading solar power firm. “Energy Matters has been with us all the way, from integrating a solar array into the design of our new Bibra Lake distribution centre, through to the installation of the solar array,” said Crowe. “We estimate that the array will provide around 40% of our annual electricity requirements at this site. We are also delighted to have created the opportunity to supplement our electricity requirements utilising natural resources.”
Jeremy Rich, CEO of Energy Matters, said the Bidvest installation has been an exciting project for Energy Matters to be involved with. “As one of the first truly large-scale, privately funded and owned rooftop PV solar systems, we see this as the start of something big for commercial solar in Australia and applaud Bidvest for taking the lead,” he said
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