Office products supplier invests $1m in solar energy farms

COS, a privately owned office products supplier, has invested $1 million in installing over 1500 solar panels at its facilities. 

The company’s decision to invest in solar energy was a result of a carbon audit which identified electricity to be contributing almost 50% to the company’s carbon emissions. Solar energy equipment supplier Sun Connect installed the solar panels for COS.

The solar energy farms at company’s Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane locations will produce in excess of 611 MWh a year and reduce COS’s carbon emissions by 532 tonnes a year, equivalent to removing 133 cars off the road. The panels at its Sydney facility alone covers over 6060 m² . 

“As COS is privately owned, we have the freedom to make long-term decisions that may not have an immediate return on investment,” said COS Managing Director Dominique Lyone. “This move reflects our commitment to embracing new technology to protect natural resources and create sustainable solutions that benefit current and future generations.”

Sun Connect CEO Mark Tuke said, “COS’s investment in solar technology demonstrates its level of genuine commitment to sustainable energy solutions. This level of investment is rare within the private sector and it is encouraging to see the environmental leadership by COS to drive positive change for a sustainable future. This was one of the largest commercial solar panel installations undertaken by Sun Connect.”  

The COS website will also feature live data showing the amount of energy generated from its solar energy farms. The solar energy initiative is part of COS’s overall commitment to sustainability.

“We take great pride in being the first organisation in our industry to receive accreditation for environmental management standard ISO 14001:2004. This means that we comply with the standards that frame world best practices for businesses minimising environmental impact,” said Lyone.

Image courtesy of COS.