The lights won’t be going out at one Johannesburg mall this festive season. That’s because Eastgate in the east rand of Johannesburg has installed a solar plant on its roof.
The centre also recently installed three solar trees on its piazza to light up the popular outdoor dining and entertainment area.
The 1-megawatt solar plant is made up of 2 771 solar panels and 9 inverters, which, simply by absorbing the sun’s rays, produce approximately 170 000 kWh per month. North-facing, the system is able to produce 14% of the centre’s energy needs, which equates to carbon emission savings of roughly 180 tons per month.
Switched on earlier this year, to date the solar plant has already saved the centre almost R2-million in electricity, with more expected as the sunny days get longer over the December period. The solar plant was made possible by collaborating with Solareff, Solink, Eskom and the Ekhuruleni Municipality.
Further enhancing the centre’s carbon emission reduction, the solar trees on the piazza come alive in the evenings for approximately five to six hours, with the largest one being 13,5 meters in height and 14 meters in diameter. These stately installations were inspired by the aesthetics of the African Baobab and are completely self-sustaining.
The centre also recently implemented a recycling system for used paper, plastic, cans and glass, via reverse vending machines. By creating a profile on a smart phone app, shoppers are able to enjoy benefits simply by recycling materials that they no longer need.