Investec Property, a South African private client manager, is gearing up to install the continent’s largest solar PV rooftop plant at Cornubia Mall in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.
With a DC capacity of 5.25MWp and an AC capacity of 4.29MW, the rooftop solar PV plant will be the 15th largest rooftop-only solar plant in the world and the largest on the continent by 10.5%, a difference of 4.75MWp.
Given the state of energy insecurity in South Africa, Investec Property, in partnership with Terra Firma Solutions, wants to embrace renewable low-carbon emission technology across its assets to decrease its carbon footprint and environmental impact on society.
The implementation of the solar PV rooftop will reduce the electricity consumption of the 120 retail outlets at Cornubia Mall, further easing the pressure on South Africa’s power grid.
Pictured: 120-year-old fig tree, a Cornubia Mall landmark. Image credit: Supplied
Terra Firma Solutions will install the plant over the next five months, which is expected to be up and running by mid-April. Thereafter, the numerous retail outlets of Cornubia Mall can enjoy the guilt-free privilege of being powered by a low-carbon energy source.
According to Investec Property co-CEO Gavin Bernstein, the company is at the forefront of ESG and are landlords who provide solar energy functionality to their tenants. “We will offer 18MW of solar power across the group when we have completed our project at Cornubia by mid-April.”
