Telkom has put its money where its mouth is in terms of green energy with the addition of 1 MWp grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) technology at the Telkom Park head office in Centurion – bringing the total installed PV capacity to 4.2 MWp.
“Our objective is to deploy green energy solutions to support an always-on network, thereby reducing dependency on high-cost, non-renewable energy solutions,” says Koenehelo Thejane, executive: Capital Projects at Telkom subsidiary, Gyro.
The Telkom Park and Bellville (Western Cape) complex installations boasts 2 000 PV panels – each rated at 540W – strategically placed on rooftops and ground parking areas and all regulated by 12 Huawei inverters.
These installations will primarily support the Direct Current (DC) power requirements of Telkom’s telecommunications equipment, reducing reliance on diesel generators during power outages.
To date, Telkom has already witnessed the benefits of its solar investment. The grid-tied solar installations contribute to Scope 1 and 2 carbon emission reductions, aligning with the company’s annual 4,2% science-based targets (SBTI) emission reduction target.
Telkom has set ambitious environmental targets, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2040. These goals are integral to the company’s broader fight against climate change.
Thus, Telkom’s solar ambitions extend far beyond these initial projects. A multi-year plan is in place to deploy 3 MWp of solar PV capacity, coupled with battery storage, to over one thousand electronic telecommunication exchanges (ETEs) across South Africa.
Telkom’s solar PV projects are also not standalone initiatives. They represent a key component of a comprehensive energy strategy built on three pillars:
- Network energy resilience: Ensuring uninterrupted network availability by minimising the impact of power disruptions.
- Operational efficiency: Reducing energy costs by minimising reliance on traditional electricity supply and diesel backup generators.
- ESG goals: Aligning with the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals – particularly the reduction of fossil fuel use as outlined in their SBTI.
In addition, the Telkom Park installation adheres to the City of Tshwane’s Small Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) requirements including safety features that prevent feeding electricity back into the grid during loadshedding.