The Emperors Palace PV plant is large and quite possibly the largest rooftop PV plant for a hotel and entertainment/gaming site in South Africa, if not the Southern Hemisphere.  Nigel Atherton, Peermont Joint Acting CEO, explains that the plant will be a grid tied solar PV system that will produce power alongside the Ekurhuleni Municipal feed. ‘Simply put, it means that Emperors Palace will be able to generate a substantial quota of its own power and alleviate its burden on the national power network significantly. To put it into perspective, the plant will generate enough power to provide electricity to 500 homes.’   

The building of the solar PV plant at Emperors Palace will be completed by Terra Firma Solutions, a leading energy engineering solution provider who first conducted a detailed study to ensure that the roof could support the weight of the solar panels and associated equipment. As a result, the plant will be split up into smaller plants (arrays), across different roof sections. The study also entailed an analysis of the electrical demand of the site and due to its scale, it was concluded that all the solar power produced, will be utilised by Emperors Palace directly. 

Says Ed Gluckman, Managing Director of Terra Firma Solutions: ‘Once completed, the solar PV plant at Emperors Palace will be a 1.176 MW (megawatt) size rooftop plant. In reality, it will then be one of the largest; if not the largest rooftop solar PV plants built to date on a hospitality and gaming site in South Africa and quite possibly the entire Southern Hemisphere. At peak production, the solar PV plant is expected to produce 15 to 20% of Emperors Palace’s electricity power requirement.’

‘We are extremely excited about the practical implications of the new solar PV plant, enthuses Atherton. But this initiative is just one of our key priorities. Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts has a dedicated sustainability programme to reduce the group’s energy and water consumption, decrease waste and promote recycling. The overall objective is to continuously reduce any potential negative impact on our natural environment, whilst maintaining and improving the overall experience for our guests.’ 

Emperors Palace is a Peermont resort. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @emperorspalace.

The 11th Southern African Energy Efficiency Convention will be hosted at Emperors Palace on 8-9 November 2016. The Southern African Association for Energy Efficiency is proud to host its convention for the 10th time at this prestigious and now also energy efficient venue.