Property Owners embark on a mission to save energy

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Black River Park in Cape Town has become the first office precinct in South Africa to receive Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) certified Green Star SA ratings for all its buildings. Black River Park in Cape Town has become the first office precinct in South Africa to receive Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) certified Green Star SA ratings for all its buildings.

In light of rising energy demand and cost coupled with global energy availability concerns, property owners and developers are tapping into renewable energy sources across African countries.

Solar is garnering more attention amongst commercial property developers, owners and managers. They are pursuing the possibility of employing renewal energy sources by installing solar panels on their properties or energy-saving devices.

In that vein, South Africa is on high alert as a surge of power plant maintenance issues have led to a spike in enforced black-outs throughout the country, temporarily depriving millions of electricity and raising criticism of the government's failure to address a longstanding need for more energy infrastructure.

Electricity crisis in Africa is an opportunity, as it illustrates now more than ever before of the crucial need for going green and greater energy efficiency. By doing so both business and consumers will cut down on electricity costs, which will help mitigate the impact of the electricity crisis.

Recently the owners of Epsom Downs Shopping Centre in Sandton, Emira Property Fund installed a R6 million solar farm on the roof of the centre. The photovoltaic (PV) solar farm, comprising 1,084 panels, will produce around 271kWp, or about 30% of the electricity required by the shopping centre - the maximum possible with its roof size.

Black River Park in Cape Town has become the first office precinct in South Africa to receive Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) certified Green Star SA ratings for all its buildings.

It’s such an opportune time – investment in off-grid or co-generation is really starting to take hold as such projects increase their commercial value in the face of the electricity crisis.

East Africa, most notably Kenya, is venturing into the world of solar. Out of a population of over 40-million with more than 9-million households, a mere 2-million households in Kenya are connected to the electricity grid.

The use of solar in Kenya makes sense due to the country’s prime location on the equator on Africa’s east coast. Over the past several months, the take up of solar in Kenya has been phenomenal.

The 32-acre mixed-use Garden City Development is installing Africa's largest solar panel covered car park on the roof of the Garden City Mall along the Thika Superhighway.

The 858kWp solar carport will constitute 3,300 solar panels that will generate 1,256MWh a year – providing clean power to the retail tenants of the 32-acre mixed use development on Nairobi’s Thika Road and shade for shoppers’ cars.

A carport is a roofed, wall-less shed used to offer limited protection to cars from the sun’s ultraviolet rays and other elements.

Solar carport are increasingly gaining popularity worldwide as they make use of otherwise functionless rooftops.



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