Shining example: Mines Press, a New York print firm, deploys Community Solar plus Storage

Mines Press, an 88-year-old family business based in Cortlandt Manor, NY, provides printing and mailing services nationwide to thousands of companies as well as running the design and warehouse facilities for the popular consumer brand, Iscream.

Under a 25-year agreement, Centrica Business Solutions has installed 1.3 MW’s of solar on the roof of the 108,000 sq. ft. facility as part of a ‘Community Solar’ project. The electricity from the panels will also power on-site batteries, which will then provide clean, renewable energy during high peak demand times. Mines Press will participate as the commercial off-taker under the Community Solar program and will purchase 40% of the credits, with the balance of surplus energy being used by households within the Con Edison utility territory, where they will receive credits on their monthly bills.

Centrica Business Solutions replaced all lighting fixtures on the interior and exterior of the building with new energy-efficient LEDs, which will reduce electricity consumption across the factory by approximately 24%, creating significant and permanent savings to the business.

It’s expected that the combined project will offset 1,362 tons of carbon dioxide every year and is equivalent to 1.4 million pounds of coal not being burned on an annual basis.

George Ford, Director of Business Development Centrica Business Solutions North America, said, “This kind of forward-thinking is achievable for businesses of all types and sizes. The Mines family put a lot of thought and planning into how they would become a more sustainable business, and we’ve created a program of activities that will set them on the path towards Net Zero.”

Chris Covell, Head of Centrica Business Solutions North America, added, “This solution for Mines Press is a demonstration of our commitment to building customer-centric projects that not only deliver sustainability, but also leverage market incentives and technology like solar and storage to provide meaningful financial benefit to our customers’ bottom line.”