V&A Waterfront begins R20m solar project

7th August 2015

By: Sashnee Moodley

Senior Deputy Editor Polity and Multimedia

  

Font size: - +

In an effort to reduce its demand on the energy grid in the Western Cape, the V&A Waterfront has begun a R20-million solar project that will include the installation of 7 000 m2 of solar panels on the roof of eight buildings across the property.

The solar panels will have a total capacity of 1 094 kWp and will be installed on the roofs of the Watershed, the Breakwater apartments, the Clock Tower, Granger Bay, Two Oceans Aquarium, Port Edge, West Quay and Portswood House.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year or early 2016 and is funded by shareholders of the V&A Waterfront – property investment companies Growthpoint Properties and Public Investment Corporation.

V&A Waterfront executive manager of operations Colin Devenish tells Engineering News that the tourist destination hopes to significantly reduce its electricity consumption and costs, as well as its dependency on the energy grid by 1 721 956 kWh/y.

“As a big corporate and one of the city’s top three consumers of power, it is our responsibility to find ways to reduce our demand on the grid. The project will help us educate our customers [on the importance of saving electricity] and we want to act as a case study for other companies wanting to install solar panels,” he says.

The panels will be activated as they are installed on each roof, which Devenish says is an advantage, as the V&A Waterfront will reap the benefits of not having to wait for the installation of all eight roofs before seeing the energy-saving results.

As part of the installation, the V&A Waterfront will also replace the roofs of its properties, where necessary. Devenish says this will not disrupt the daily activities on the property.

V&A Waterfront CEO David Green says, as the environment is fragile, it is important to adopt renewable-energy resources for future generations.

“Our new solar infrastructure means that we can significantly reduce our environmental footprint and draw less power from the grid. This translates into a tangible benefit for the residents of Cape Town as there will be more power available for them, and it makes good business sense for us too,” he adds.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION