Testimony provided by Coates Hire Operations Pty Limited on the 12th of August 2024
“Coates has been working with GEM Energy for more than two years, successfully implementing a solar PV program across our national portfolio of branches. GEM has worked with our business to prioritise installation sites by energy consumption and cost, size and property tenure, and then prepared a business case to support internal investment, landlord and capital approval. Throughout the process, GEM has provided exceptional project management services, incorporating our own work requirements with supplier and contractor management and consideration of critical worker health and safety risks such as working at heights and electrical safety.
Since initiating smaller trial sites in 2022, we have installed solar PV on 23 Coates branches, with 1.1MW and more than 2,300 panels installed (as at June 2024). Coates now uses on average nearly 70% of the solar energy generated and is 46% renewable self-sufficient across our solar sites, significantly reducing our electricity consumption and costs. This is helping Coates to achieve our 2026 and 2030 interim net-zero targets, with behind-the-grid supply of renewable energy also critically reducing our energy costs amid dynamic energy prices during Australia’s grid transition.
Coates continues to work with the GEM team to ‘solarise’ our national property portfolio and trial our first battery storage system at a commercial premises, with plans for further installations. Coates recommends GEM to any Australian distributed organisation that is considering solar PV installations to decarbonise and reduce energy costs.”
Robyn Simpson
National Environment & Sustainability Manager, Coates
&
Tony Hess
National Property Manager, Coates