Load shedding may have many negative consequences, but it has had one positive outcome – it has boosted the drive to implement greener and more sustainable energy sources. In Louis Trichardt, the major shopping centres have also adapted, installing solar panels on large parts of their roofs to supplement the supply of electricity to businesses.
In one of the latest developments, the Shoprite store in Burger Street completed a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installation that can generate 409,252 kWh. This will add to the Shoprite Group's growing network of solar-powered and renewable-electricity installations across South Africa.
Chain stores such as Shoprite are already making a significant contribution to alleviate the country's power-supply problems. "The group's current installed capacity of solar PV generates almost 50 million kWh annually, with 174 534 m² of solar panels across 71 sites, the equivalent of 24 soccer fields. This is enough to power 4 554 households for a full year, easing pressure on the national electricity grid," the group said last week in a statement.
Sanjeev Raghubir, Shoprite's group sustainability manager, said that renewable energy enabled their stores to reduce their environmental impact, and in some cases allowed them to continue operating during power cuts.
"We aim to power 25% of the group's operations with renewables in the next five years and to meet our science-based emission-reduction targets, including net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050," he said.