Sungula Nkabinde
VODACOM’S Century City office in Cape Town will have the largest array of solar panels on a single building in Africa. Nearly 2 000 monocrystalline solar panels will cover the 3 600m2 roof, providing up to 75 percent of all power required by the building during peak production.
“The position of the Century City rooftop is perfect for generating a high yield of solar power throughout the year… This is a prime example of how business can take the lead in promoting renewable energy solutions,” said Suraya Hamdulay, Vodacom’s executive head of corporate citizenship.
The total annual energy savings is expected to be around 830.1 megawatt-hours, enough to charge more than 70 million cellphones for a year.
Hamdulay said the firm was aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 79 000 tons, or 20 percent, by March 31 next year.
To date, Vodacom had reduced the energy inputs for base stations by 12 percent a unit. Base stations house the towers that provide a network signal to cellphones.
The Century City project follows the construction of the Vodafone Site Solutions Innovation Centre in Midrand, a joint venture between Vodacom and its parent company, UK-based Vodafone. The building has a six-star green rating and is the greenest building in Africa due to its water, energy and emissions efficiency.
It houses a team of engineers who conduct investigations and design ways in which Vodafone can implement additional cost efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions globally.