Leading dairy co-operative Arrabawn has partnered with Irish industrial decarbonisation specialists, Astatine to install a new solar power system that will supply the Tipperary-based agri business with some 15% of its annual electricity needs.
Based in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, Arrabawn is one of Ireland’s biggest dairy co-operatives, collecting and processing more than 500 million litres of milk per year from its network of shareholder farmers. The decision to install solar PV (photovoltaic panels) is part of Arrabawn’s strategy to decarbonise its operation, focussing on reducing scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions.
Following a competitive tender process, Arrabawn selected Astatine as its solar partner. The Dublin-based green energy supplier delivered a full turnkey solution that included project development, planning permission, engineering design as well as construction of the solar installation at Arrabawn’s headquarters in Nenagh.
The project saw Astatine install 9,000 ground-mounted solar panels which have a combined solar installed capacity of 5,800 kilowatts (KW), generating 5,400 megawatt hours per year of clean renewable energy. This will provide Arrabawn with 15% of its annual electricity requirement, offsetting circa. 1,400 tonnes of CO2 per year which is the equivalent of supplying more than 1,200 houses with electricity.
Astatine specialises in helping companies to decarbonise their energy needs through a range of technologies including rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV, thermal batteries as well as industrial heat pumps, and thermal storage that can reduce both carbon emissions and operating costs.
Project fully financed by Astatine
The €3.5 million project was fully financed by Astatine, meaning there was no capital investment on the part of Arrabawn. The renewable energy being generated is supplied to Arrabawn via a long term power purchase agreement (PPA) – at a similar or discounted rate compared to the grid – with Astatine also managing the operation and maintenance of the system for the duration of the PPA.
“We’re delighted to have been selected by Arrabawn to install and maintain a solar PV system that will help to future-proof the company’s energy needs and put the company on a more sustainable footing,” said Tom Marren, CEO of Astatine.
“Agriculture accounts for a significant portion of Ireland’s carbon emissions and the low-hanging fruit are the large, centralised processing plants like the Arrabawn facility here in Nenagh,” Mr. Marren said. “Installing solar PV or heat pump technology into this type of facility is the equivalent of decarbonising hundreds of individual farms and can put a huge dent in the agri sector’s overall emissions.”
“We look forward to supplying Arrabawn and other agri businesses with clean, renewable, low-cost electricity for many years to come and we’re proud to be playing a part in Ireland’s vital decarbonisation journey,” Mr Marren said.
Arrabawn recently announced a proposed merger with Tipperary Co-op to form Arrabawn Tipperary Co-operative Society, pending regulatory approvals which will be owned and controlled by over 4,800 members with more than 1,400 farmers supplying almost 750 million litres of milk annually.
“Like all dairy co-operatives in Ireland and around the world, two of our biggest challenges are reducing costs and reducing carbon emissions,” said Conor Ryan, CEO of Arrabawn.
“Having already installed a heat pump at our Nenagh facility, the addition of solar PV takes us to the next level in terms of ensuring our future supply of clean, renewable, energy,” Mr. Ryan said. “The fact that the project involved no upfront capital investment and was fully financed by Astatine also made it attractive to our shareholders as we look to a more sustainable future.”
