In August we installed 32 photovoltaic panels at our printing plant, totalling 8kWh, which has reduced our environmental footprint and our dependence on the energy grid.
Our industry isn't very easy. Being in the decorated clothing business means having many machines running constantly, some of them 24 hours a day. Our energy consumption is therefore quite high. About two years ago we decided that it would be interesting to start analysing the cost of installing solar energy (with photovoltaic panels) in our warehouse. Living on the coast of a sunny country like Portugal, it seemed to make sense, but at the time the costs were still prohibitive and our consumption irregular, so it took us nearly 12 months to find the perfect system for our needs.
That's how we reached 8kWh with 32 panels.
12 months later we could hardly be happier with the results. Not only have we considerably reduced our monthly energy costs, but we know that we're not polluting as much, reducing our CO2 emissions by ~2 tonnes over this period of time.
For our customers it is also extremely beneficial, as they can be sure that they are working with an environmentally conscious textile printing company. They know that by ordering decorated embroidery, around 70% of the energy consumed in producing their merchandise will be renewable.
Our evolution as a company has also brought new challenges.
The transition to a more digital model in screen and direct printing means more machines running 24 hours a day.
Unfortunately, the panels only work when the sun is shining, so our next step will be to install and install batteries to ensure that all the energy the panels collect is stored and can be used later. It's part of our long-term plan to be totally independent of the network and we know that this is the only way to get there.
