Page 27 - Energize July 2022

NEWS

SA’s largest solar PV carport comes

online in Pretoria

arking a significant milestone in the development of South Africa’s solar energy employment,” he says.
market, pioneering domestic energy firm SolarAfrica has successfully designed, The bespoke, large-scale cantilever
Mconstructed and commissioned the country’s largest solar carport system for the solar carport structure provides parking
Ford South Africa Silverton assembly plant, in Pretoria. bays for more than 3600 vehicles and
The landmark 13,5 MW solar project uses solar rays to produce 35% of the plant’s comprises over 30 000 solar panels. The
electricity requirements, eliminating more than 20 000 tons of CO 2 a year. This will enable SolarAfrica-designed carport is an efficient
Ford to achieve its global sustainability target of using 100% carbon-free electricity across all way to deploy solar, as the solution
its manufacturing operations by 2035. protects parked vehicles from poor
The Ford project was signed under SolarAfrica’s pioneering Power Purchase Agreement weather conditions while simultaneously
(PPA), which requires the automotive manufacturer to only pay for the electricity it uses. producing cheaper, cleaner power.
Additionally, the PPA did not require upfront capital expenditure but was co-funded by The launch of the solar project comes
Commercial Energy SA (CESA). The CESA investment facility is based on a long-term joint as a report by economics consultancy
venture between the Evolution II Fund and SolarAfrica. Meridian Economics estimates that more
Steven Faure, Partner at Inspired Evolution, the advisor to the Evolution II Fund, said, than 15 000 MW of additional solar energy
“we are excited to be involved in this landmark project to bring clean energy to Ford’s generation capacity, as well as almost 7000
Silverton operations. This project is a key milestone in the roll-out of best-in-class solar PV MW of wind energy, will be required to
solutions for commercial and industrial consumers in South Africa. We will continue to work stabilise South Africa’s energy system.
with SolarAfrica to deliver world-class solar solutions, contributing to a reduction of GHG “We are glad to be contributing
and improving energy security across the country.” to the sustainability of this sector and
SolarAfrica CEO David McDonald says the ‘mammoth’ project, which required over 35 assisting Ford SA in bringing its vision
000 man-hours and created over 120 jobs among sub-contractors, represents a significant of job creation to life, hopefully leading
step-change in the progression of large-scale solar PV energy projects in South Africa. to further industry growth and indirect
“We applaud Ford South Africa for being industry leaders and committing to a employment,” McDonald adds.
sustainability project of this stature. Aside from the environmental and cost benefits, the
Ford solar project has had a big impact on job creation in the Tshwane area, which is fully For more information, visit
aligned with the City of Tshwane’s focus to grow the automotive industry as a key driver of www.solarafrica.com

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