Rabba Fine Foods To Slash Energy Bills And Carbon Emissions By Going Solar

One of the GTA’s most popular grocery store chains has signed an agreement with Green Integrations, a leading Canadian solar company, to install solar on its distribution centers, and Star Energy Solutions, a trusted energy management consulting firm – with an aim to reduce its dependence on the utility grid while also reducing its operating costs and carbon emissions. The project has secured utility approvals and construction has started in June 2023.

The two distribution centers of Rabba Fine Foods, located in Mississauga, will soon generate most of their own power with solar panels. Toronto-based Green Integrations will design, engineer, and build the systems, with an expected operation date of November 2023.

Together, the projects will consist of 2630 solar panels with a capacity of over 1.4MW of power, which translates to 1.54 million kWh of solar electricity each year. The significant amounts of energy generated by both systems will reduce Rabba’s grid energy use by an average of 74% between the two facilities.

This offset in consumption will result in a significant reduction in Rabba’s energy bills and its operating costs. Both the systems are projected to last for 30+ years, and will pay for themselves in under 10 years, leaving more than two decades for electricity bill savings.

Once the systems start powering the facilities, Rabba’s Levelized Cost of Electricity will come down to approximately $0.055/kWh – nearly a third of their existing electricity price. Moreover, this cost will be locked in for almost three decades, unlike grid power pricing, which is steadily climbing and will be drastically higher in the 30 years of the system’s life.

“The environment is important to our customers, and our business,” said Jack Rabba. “Harnessing the power of solar energy is one of the ways we can contribute to a more sustainable and, ultimately, a healthy business. We are eager to see this investment come to fruition.”

The impact of Rabba’s investment in solar power goes beyond just financial benefits. By offsetting conventional grid power, the company will offset an impressive 800+ tonnes of CO2e emissions over 20 years. This is the equivalent of planting nearly 29,388 trees – an impressive feat considering the deteriorating climate.

Rabba Fine Foods will also benefit from various tax incentives, including the newly introduced 30% Refundable Investment Tax Credit and the Accelerated Investment Incentive offered by the Federal government, which will bring Rabba’s capital investment down by hundreds of thousands.