The construction of one of the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in South Africa at Emperors Palace, in Boksburg, Gauteng, is 50% complete, with first power supply to Emperors Palace expected to start next week.
Construction of the plant – a grid-tied solar PV system that would produce power alongside the Ekurhuleni municipal feed – started in February. Completion of the 1.176 MW rooftop plant was set for August.
About 4 000 Canadian Solar Tier 1 modules, comprising sizes of 315 W and 250 W, would be installed and connected to 37 SMA inverters to regulate the direct current to alternate current for power supply. About 18 km of cabling was required for the plant.
Energy engineering solutions provider Terra Firma Solutions was building the plant.
The company first conducted a detailed study to ensure the roof could support the weight of the solar panels and associated equipment. As a result, the plant would be split up into smaller plants, or arrays across five different roof sections.
The study also entailed an analysis of the electrical demand of the site. As a result of its scale, it was concluded that Emperors Palace would directly use all the solar power produced.
The plant would cover about 7 265 m2 of the current roof space and was expected to generate about 1.9 MWh/y of electricity.
“This would equate to about R2-million of electricity savings a year at the current tariffs,” Terra Firma Solutions marketing manager Fred Hagelberg noted at the plant’s launch on Wednesday.
Emperors Palace complex operations executive Nigel Atherton added that, “simply put, it means Emperors Palace will be able to generate a substantial quota of its own power and alleviate its burden on the national power grid significantly”.
Hagelberg noted that, once at peak production, the solar PV plant was expected to produce 15% to 20% of Emperors Palace’s electricity needs during the daytime.
With optimum roof space allocated to the plant, Terra Firma Solutions was considering the potential of expanding the plant in future, Hagelberg added.
Atherton noted that Emperors Palace was excited about the practical implications of the new solar PV plant.
“But this initiative is just one of our key priorities. Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts has a dedicated sustainability programme to reduce the group’s energy and water consumption, decrease waste and promote recycling. The overall objective is to continuously reduce any potential negative impact on our natural environment, while maintaining and improving the overall experience for our guests,” he said.