A Firm In Juja Adopts Solar Power To Avoid High KPLC Bills

Star Plastics Limited, a blue-chip manufacturing company based in Juja, Kenya, signed an agreement with Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a market leader in reliable and renewable energy solutions on the African continent.

The investment into a 15-year partnership signed in December 2021 with DPA Kenya Limited for the provision of a 760kWp solar grid tie system, underscores Star Plastics Limited’s commitment to sustainable and renewable energy solutions that can support its growing manufacturing operations.

“The solution is designed to power the entire Star Plastics warehousing and operations premises,” says Moncef Mettiji, CEO of DPA Kenya Limited. “The platform will see the company significantly reduce its power consumption expenditure with a saving of approximately 11% in total electricity costs annually.”

The agreement between Star Plastics Limited and DPA Kenya Limited will run for 15 years, during which time DPA will provide the company with reliable solar power and maintenance of the system.

The project aligns with Star Plastics Limited’s commitment to sustainable and renewable approaches to energy, recycling, re-usability of plastic waste, and reducing their carbon footprint on the planet, and highlights DPA’s significant innovations in this space. DPA has an extensive team of power engineers and has brought its experience to the development of this solution.

“DPA Kenya Limited has helped us move one step closer to consuming electricity generated by renewable energy and we foresee this project will reduce our operational costs significantly,” says Nirav Nagda, General Manager of Star Plastics Limited.

“Our engagement with Star Plastics Limited showcases our investments and innovations within the energy sector,” says Moncef. “As a leading renewable energy provider, we are focused on providing companies on the African continent with affordable, clean, and sustainable energy solutions that not only meet their climate change goals and expectations but help them more effectively manage costs and energy reliability across their operations.”

Star Plastics Limited was established in 2011 in Juja, Kenya, and initially manufactured water storage drums using recycled plastic materials that would otherwise have ended up in landfill sites. The company then expanded its frontiers into three divisions and now develops more than 350 products ranging from household items, cleaning solutions, insulated items, and storage containers among many others. The company resolved to make the move to renewable power for two reasons: cost savings and sustainable energy investment. Star Plastics Limited aims to enhance the use of renewable energy in its operations and forecasts affordable battery storage solutions in the next three years which would enable the company to grow its consumption of renewable energy, store it effectively and utilize the stored capacity to further reduce its reliance on energy from other sources.

The solar PV solution started operations in September 2022 and has been customized to meet the customer’s rigorous manufacturing expectations. DPA Kenya Limited will operate the plant for 15 years, and this marks the start of a long and collaborative relationship between the two companies in Kenya.