Vic timber business adds 100kW solar – to cut power bill by 80%

A Victorian timber industry business has installed a 100kW solar PV system it says will offset 80 per cent of its annual power usage, and pay itself off within four to five years.

Timber pallet maker Fisher’s said on Monday that local group Gippsland Solar would install 400 Yingli Solar panels at its La Trobe Valley factory and base, allowing the company to reduce its carbon footprint by 150 tonnes per year.

A large-scale producer and supplier to the timber industry, Fisher’s Group has adopted a broad initiative of eliminating waste and becoming carbon neutral, as part of The National Timber Product Stewardship Group.

Fisher’s founder and managing director Lewis Fisher said installing solar was “the next logical step” to reducing the company’s carbon footprint and running costs.

“It is great to see local businesses including Fisher’s Group begin to understand the significant role solar can play in reducing costs and sustaining long term green initiatives,” said Yingli Green Energy Australia managing director Daman Cole.

“It’s hard to come by business investments that provide a guaranteed 20-25 percent return per year so we’re excited to see yet another organisation realise the full business potential of sustainable energy.“