Johannesburg - The University of Johannesburg (UJ) solar power initiative now produces 15% of the institution’s energy consumption, with electric buses now moving students around campus.
Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the university, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala congratulated the institution for its drive for clean energy.
UJ became “grid positive” after it installed thousands of solar panels on the roofs of several on-campus buildings and carports (covered parking bays) since 2020.
One of my legacy at UJ is a drive for clean energy. The solar project now produces 15% of UJ’s energy consumption. Now we have electric buses. Congratulations UJ. @mediauj @UNIC_Tokyo pic.twitter.com/6aaRtBg3I4
— Tshilidzi Marwala (@txm1971) November 4, 2022
The solar initiative was rolled out with the support of RCSOL Renewable Circle Solutions and Cronimet Mining Power Solutions, as an addition to their sustainability services in energy efficiency, water conservation and recycling.
“The photovoltaic system manages over 1 700 kilowatts of solar photovoltaic power and could produce as much as 4 343 500 kilowatt hours of renewable energy annually. This is close to 8.88% of the 48 866 044 kilowatt-hours of energy consumed across the University’s four campuses, yearly,” said Mbambeleli Masala last year when the university installed 4 450 solar panels.
Masala, who is the project manager of sustainability at UJ, pointed out that the university was seeking projects that were innovative for both university operations and for research purposes.
“Installing solar power energy not only provides learning opportunities for our students, saves money by reducing the power bill, but is also a step towards achieving the country and the world’s climate goals as it also reduces carbon emissions,” Masala said at the time.
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