Resort raises the bar for sustainable solar energy
31 July 2024
News
Sun City is going to great heights in its bid to one day take the resort completely off the grid. With all available space on the roof of Sun Central now covered by solar panels, the resort lifted its sights to the roof at The Palace, and the Sun City hotel.
Brett Hoppé, GM of Sun City said, “Conventional installation methods such as cranes would have inconvenienced our guests, so given the scale of the project, we decided that airlifting the equipment was the best and quickest solution. At its highest point, The Palace is 70 m high, so lifting 1193 solar panels and the supporting steel structures onto the roof is no mean feat. The hefty panels were packed into crates, with each one weighing just under a ton.”
Hoppé emphasised that the roll out of the panels forms part of a broader, phased environmental strategy that will, in the future, take the resort off the grid. “Sun City is an enormous property with many moving parts to power up, but we believe our ground-breaking project not only reduces our resort’s demand and consumption of energy, but that it will also meet Sun International’s broader environmental commitment.”
“Our sustainability promise is based on people, planet and profits, in that order. Solar is beneficial to our broader community, as the less power we draw from the grid the more is available to others, it works for our guests – especially those travelling from overseas – as they want to know that they are not increasing their own environmental footprint when they stay at Sun City, and it works for our own bottom line. Since June last year we have completed the first two phases of the project and have already realised a financial saving of approximately R3,1-million.”
The installation has been planned in several phases. When this particular phase is completed, demand from the resort on the national grid will drop by an estimated total of 2,3 MW.
Further reading:
Rooibos heads to space
News
A South African scientific initiative linking agriculture and space research has officially launched today with the Rooibos in Space programme at Parklands College’s Innovation Centre in Cape Town.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Local can be international
Technews Publishing
Editor's Choice News
Welcome to the July 2026 issue of
Dataweek. As you can see from this introduction,
Dataweek’s regular editor, Peter Howells, is on extended leave and I am filling the void in his editor’s column – hopefully without being too boring.
Read more...
Landis+Gyr EMEA introduces new company name: EYKON
News
EYKON is the new company name of Landis+Gyr EMEA, formerly part of the Landis+Gyr Group. The company supports electricity, gas, water and thermal utilities in managing increasingly complex networks, improving operational efficiency and enabling more sustainable use of resources.
Read more...
Yamaha Robotics will show visitors to EFX
Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services News
Yamaha Robotics will show visitors to EFX 2026, the Expo for Electronics Manufacturing, in Stuttgart from 6-8 October 2026, how advanced surface-mount automation helps companies grow their business and increase productivity.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: The art of measuring the truth
Technews Publishing
Editor's Choice News
All electronic measurements are a lie. The trick is making the lie as small as possible.
Read more...
TSE has relocated
News
The Technology Station in Electronics (TSE) has entered a new chapter with its relocation from the CSIR campus to TUT-owned building at Ditsela Place in Hatfield.
Read more...
Innovative MyLegrand app
RS South Africa
News
Legrand SA is set to launch the MyLegrand mobile application, a digital platform designed to strengthen engagement across its professional network.
Read more...
Kulani Energy acquires critical assets from Optipower
News
Kulani Energy preserves engineering, procurement, and construction capability and positions a wholly women-owned firm at the forefront of South Africa’s grid expansion.
Read more...
From Cape Town to Johannesburg
News
Würth Elektronik South Africa has taken a significant step forward with its recent relocation from Cape Town to Johannesburg, marking a new phase of growth and ambition for the company.
Read more...
Lesley Havenga: Building partnerships for Africa’s electronics future
Editor's Choice News
As Würth Electronik expands its footprint across South Africa and the broader sub-Saharan region, Havenga’s blend of manufacturing expertise, supply chain knowledge, and people-centred leadership appears well suited to the task.
Read more...
printer friendly version