Primo Brands Connects DC Solar to Maine Bottling Operation
Bottled water and beverage packaging firm Primo Brands is decarbonizing its Poland Spring bottling operation with direct-current, on-site solar energy in Maine.
Developers Onyx Renewables and PowerFlex partnered with Primo to energize a 13-MW ground-mounted solar array at the Poland Spring site in Hollis, Maine. The direct-current, behind-the-meter solar is expected to generate close to 18 million kWh of carbon-free electricity annually, all directly powering Primo’s operations.
“At Primo Brands, water is our business, and being good stewards of natural resources is core to who we are,” Charles Fogg, the company’s chief sustainability officer, said in a statement. “That means thinking carefully about how we use resources like energy and how we operate for the long-term within communities. Powering our facility in Hollis, Maine with renewable energy reduces our reliance on traditional energy sources and helps us reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
The Hollis solar system is designed as a non-export, behind-the-meter system to maximize onsite solar production. It is aimed at directly powering the industrial operation and not for grid services.
PowerFlex served as the development and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) partner on the project, managing the multi-year development, interconnection, and permitting process; engineering the system; negotiating the PPA; and overseeing procurement and construction.
Onyx provided project financing and will serve as the long-term system owner and operator, delivering ongoing asset management and maintenance services for the life of the project.
"Projects like this represent the shift to a new power paradigm where businesses can take control of their energy future,” said Patty Rollin, Chief Commercial Officer of Onyx Renewables. “By adopting onsite solar, Primo Brands gains cost predictability and reliable clean power. At Onyx, we make sure these solutions fit seamlessly into our partners’ operations, and we’re proud to work alongside PowerFlex to deliver a system that supports Primo Brands’ sustainability goals while strengthening energy resilience."
Under the PPA structure, Onyx owns and operates the solar system while Primo Brands purchases the clean energy generated at a predictable rate for the long term. This provides Primo with budget certainty relative to the rate ups and downs of conventional grid electricity.
The environmental benefits of on-site solar could help Primo Brands avoid 7,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to the release.
“It’s a win-win. Primo Brands brings clean, fresh water to the community… the solar panels are clean energy,” said Richard Morin, Town Manager, Town of Hollis. “It’s a great partnership.”