South Africa’s oldest wine-producing farm and world-renowned tourist destination, Groot Constantia, has partnered with innovative solar leasing platform Sun Exchange to crowd-sell a 165 kW solar plant for Groot Constantia’s winemaking facilities and restaurants.

Hosted on the Sun Exchange platform, the crowd sale enabled people across South Africa and the globe to easily buy solar cells for R64 a cell, thereby essentially investing in a portion of the eventual solar farm and being able to earn money back on the power generated by their solar cells.

The crowd sale was expected to run throughout July until all 43 448 solar cells were sold, at which point Sun Exchange would start building the 165 kW solar plant.

Through the Sun Exchange platform, Groot Constantia will pay solar cell owners for the clean energy they produce for 20 years.

The Sun Exchange model enables Groot Constantia to access solar power at a rate lower than standard utility rates, while solar cell owners earn a stream of solar- powered income and support the estate’s transition to clean energy.

The solar plant will help avoid an estimated 4 700 t of carbon emissions in its lifetime.

“For centuries, Groot Constantia has been a place where people from across South Africa and the world come together to enjoy great wine and South Africa’s heritage and natural beauty,” says Groot Constantia CEO Jean Naudé.

He adds that the company is now looking to the future and working with Sun Exchange to bring together a global community to be part of its solar project. “This enables us to protect and conserve that heritage and natural beauty.”

Groot Constantia has, over the years, committed to conserving the environment in which it operates, and on which it relies, building a long history of implementing initiatives to ensure it does no harm through its farming practices.

Against this background, the estate has invested significant time and resources in refining responsible production practices by implementing innovations in water, energy efficiency and climate adaptation and integrated environmental management systems.

Sun Exchange CEO Abraham Cambridge says the project will set a precedent across South Africa’s wine and tourism industries, demonstrating that transitioning away from fossil fuels is the “best decision not only from a climate perspective, but also financially”.

Since its founding in 2015, the Sun Exchange has enabled solar power for more than 60 businesses, farms, schools and other organisations in Southern Africa. Its solar projects have generated more than 12 GWh of clean energy, avoiding more than 12 000 t of carbon emissions.