Mexico. Panasonic Mexico carried out the process of consulting, design, installation and maintenance of a solution of 1,665 solar panels that will generate up to 100% of the energy necessary to operate the plant of the company Envasadora Gugar, located in Oaxaca.
Founded in 1982, Envasadora Gugar is a 100% Mexican beverage company that produces its products in an industrial complex. Since its inception, the company has had a solid presence in the southern region of Mexico and currently distributes its products, from the popular Friko to the recent Citrus Punch Gugar or Gugar Kids, in the center of the country and some northern states, in addition to being exported to Guatemala, Cuba and the United States. The operations of Envasadora Gugar, one of the few companies in the industrial sector in Oaxaca, generate 200 direct jobs and approximately 2,000 indirect jobs.
Ernesto Guzmán, director of New Projects and Developments of Envasadora Gugar, explains that his company had already successfully ventured into the use of photovoltaic energy through a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) scheme in agreement with a third party, so they decided to invest in their own system for which they trusted Panasonic.
Developed by the B2B Solutions Group of Panasonic de México, the new photovoltaic energy system consists of 1,665 solar panels with a capacity of 330 Wp –equivalent to an area of 5,000 m2–, which offer the possibility of producing up to 877,750 kW per year, a figure close to 100% of the electrical energy required by its plant.
The panels are installed on the roof surface of the industrial building that houses the plant, all with an inclination of 5º, distributed according to the orientation of the roof itself.
According to Daniel Núñez, Energy Account Manager of the B2B Solutions Group of Panasonic de México, this solution will allow Envasadora Gugar to reduce its expenditure on the consumption of the electric energy service, achieving an estimated annual saving of 2 million pesos.
The new project, in addition to the economic benefits, represents a decrease in the carbon footprint by eliminating approximately 440 tons of CO2 per year; which is equivalent to planting 26,400 trees annually, about 88 hectares.
During the first year of operation, Panasonic will provide the maintenance services of the system, which ensures its correct operation and that the established performance goals are achieved.
"We decided to work with Panasonic because of their prestige, trust and the guarantee that supports the company. We found that Panasonic already has a good level of experience in this type of energy projects and they presented us with an attractive economic offer, from which we expect a return on investment in about five years," said Ernesto Guzmán.
This is the second project of Envasadora Gugar in the field of photovoltaic energy, since in 2016, in another of its industrial buildings, it installed a system of solar panels that generates up to 828 kWp, which represents 50% of its general electricity consumption. This solution, which operates under a PPA scheme with a third party, represented the first two-way interconnection project with the CFE (Federal Electricity Commission) grid in Oaxaca.
In addition to photovoltaic energy projects and its internal recycling policies, Envasadora Gugar also develops innovative solutions to reduce the use of plastic materials in its packaging production process. For example, it has managed to reduce the plastic weight of many of its bottles by redesigning their neck or replacing materials that allow lighter packaging to be manufactured without sacrificing their strength.
"The solar energy solution that we have integrated into Envasadora Gugar is a clear example of the positive results that Panasonic de Mexico has achieved in the country's industrial sector. We have ventured into other industrial sectors such as textiles or auto parts, so providing an energy system in a company in the food and beverage sector tells us about the good acceptance that our technology and services are achieving in the Mexican market, "concluded Daniel Núñez of Panasonic.
