Vodacom is turning its Midrand-based headquarters into a solar energy factory. The project plans to cover the campus in photovoltaic panels, expected to generate around 10.8 gigawatt-hours of energy every year. This is in response to Vodacom’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 2025. The project, once complete, will reduce the campus’s energy consumption by 21%.
Saving the planet (and some money too)
Vodacom expects phase one of the project to reach completion by March 2023. A power-purchase agreement is in place, which enlists the expertise of local vendors to install the panels on the headquarters’ rooftop and carports. Once phase one is complete, it will provide the campus with a rated power output of 2MWp (megawatts-peak). Phases two and three push that number further, adding an extra 6.5MWp once finished.
Vodacom didn’t say when it thinks phases two and three will wrap up. Considering the four months it’ll take for phase one to complete, it’s possible that we’ll see the project finish entirely by the end of 2023.
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This won’t be the last solar takeover we see at Vodacom campuses. If Vodacom is serious about its commitment to halving its carbon footprint, then time and money need to be directed at renewable energy sources. Most of Vodacom’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from the company’s electricity use. The Midrand campus project is expected to reduce Vodacom’s GHG emissions by roughly 11,448 mtCO2e (Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent).
This isn’t Vodacom’s only route to reducing its emissions. Vodacom is increasing the amount of energy it gets from independent power providers through a number of power-purchase agreements. Anything to get out from under Eskom’s thumb.