Barry Callebaut in Malaysia steps forward with solar energy

Cleantech Solar has commissioned a 2 MW rooftop solar PV system at Barry Callebaut's biggest cocoa facilities in Asia Pacific. The project was delivered under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) signed between Barry Callebaut Manufacturing Malaysia in Pasir Gudang, a 100% subsidiary of the Barry Callebaut Group, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products and Cleantech Solar, a leading provider of renewable energy solutions to corporations in Southeast Asia and India.

With the project fully financed, designed, installed, operated and maintained by Cleantech Solar, this arrangement will help Barry Callebaut cut both carbon footprint and electricity cost at zero capital investment under a solar as a service model. The solar power plant's 4558 PV modules are expected to generate over 2,400 MWh of clean electricity in the first year of operation, which is equivalent to offsetting over 1,400 tonnes of CO2 emissions, thereby contributing to Barry Callebaut's target to become carbon positive by 2025.

Robert Kotuszewski, Barry Callebaut's managing director in Malaysia, said, "As a market leader, Barry Callebaut believes in running operations around the world responsibly and sustainably. This solar power plant generates clean electricity on-site on our rooftop. Thanks to the technology developed by Cleantech Solar, our company now has a reliable solution to generate renewable electricity to power our cocoa factory in Pasir Gudang while also reducing our environmental footprint."

Raju Shukla, founder and executive chairman of Cleantech Solar, said, "It is a pleasure to see Barry Callebaut's cocoa factory in Pasir Gudang reap the benefits of our high-quality solar PV solution. Businesses are stepping up on their sustainability leadership, and with solar becoming financially attractive, we are seeing an increased uptake of the technology in Malaysia. With zero upfront and maintenance costs for Barry Callebaut, this project can serve as a best practice and business case for companies with the agenda to reduce carbon emissions whilst at the same time, save considerably on energy costs."