• Eastgate Shopping Centre has announced that the latest phase of its rooftop solar installation will be completed later this year.
• The latest phase will make the rooftop solar the largest on the African continent.
• It features 13 675 solar panels and covers an area of approximately 28 100m².

In recent years a number of shopping malls, business parks, and university campuses have invested in rooftop solar power in a bid to better handle the impact wrought from ongoing loadshedding in the country.

Now Eastgate Shopping Centre says it is home to South Africa’s largest registered rooftop solar installation, which is set to be completed in the third quarter of 2024. The management and property owners, Liberty Two Degrees, of the shopping centre explain that it began this journey in 2020 when the first phase of the solar system was commissioned.

“This first phase consisted of a 1 MW [AC] or 1.219MWp solar power installation, which resulted in an energy saving of 1 910 MWh in 2023,” it shares in a release with Hypertext.

“Since then, as part of its second phase, the mall has actively expanded its renewable energy capacity, with the addition of a 5 MW [AC] or 5.997MWp solar power installation. In total the mall now has almost 13,675 solar panels, which equates to 35.04% of the energy required to run Eastgate’s daily load, generated through solar energy,” it added.

It goes on to note that the rooftop solar installation covers most of the available mall roof space, which is an area of approximately 28 100m².

“This whopping system represents Africa’s largest registered rooftop installation, when considering both phases combined generate a total of 6MW [AC] or 7.216MWp in solar power,” management boasts.

“This is a significant achievement attributable to a collective effort from our property team, professional consultants, service providers as well as through our tenants’ support and co-operation. L2D prides itself on collaborating with the best in the industry to achieve its Net Zero Carbon targets. What also makes this achievement noteworthy is the fact that due to the reduced reliance on the grid, Eastgate will see an estimated reduction of 10,9 tons of CO² emissions per year, for both phase one and two combined,” adds Melinda Isaacs, L2D’s Developments executive.

“Eastgate is one of few centres in its catchment area that is currently fully functional during load shedding. The expanded use of renewable energy will ensure that the popular centre will continue to provide a meaningful space for its visitors, whether their needs are to shop, eat, pay, bank, access services or be entertained at any of its over 200 retailers,” management concluded.

While South Africa is currently without loadshedding, when it does return, Eastgate Shopping Centre is clearly better equipped than most to handle any energy crisis.

[Images – Provided]