South Africa: Imperial Wanderers Cricket Stadium Goes Solar

• Imperial Wanderers Stadium is embracing the clean power trends by going green.
• The stadium partnered with Imperial and the SolarSaver Group for the installation of a customised 250kWp solar PV system.

Central Gauteng Lions underlined that the venue is one of the first stadiums in South Africa to ‘go green’. Central Gauteng Lions is the custodian of all cricket activities in the greater Sedibeng, West Rand, Vaal, and Johannesburg area and manages the Imperial Wanderers Stadium.

“This is a huge step towards reducing the stadium’s carbon footprint,” says stadium manager Cyril Martin. “The stadium now boasts three sources of power, namely grid, generator and solar energy, which produces enough energy to run the stadium, especially on big international match days and non-cricket events.

Imperial Wanderers Stadium adds green to its blue footprint by installing a customised 250kWp solar PV system.

“This is in addition to the stadium’s existing world-class drainage infrastructure where all water, including rainwater, goes into a reservoir to ensure water is saved and re-used. The stadium seldom uses municipal water, if at all, and we always use borehole water for the grounds.”

The solar installation was completed by the SolarSaver Group in partnership with Imperial – the naming rights sponsor to the stadium. The SolarSaver Group was founded with a view to offering clients a unique solar solution that does not require any capital or financial guarantees. The Group runs the largest fleet of self-financed solar installations in Southern Africa.

“The SolarSaver Group portfolio includes over 200 systems operated by SolarSaver under long-term power purchase agreements and rent-to-own contracts across South Africa and Namibia,” said SolarSaver. “The installation at Imperial Wanderers Stadium forms part of the stadium’s aesthetic with the solar panels situated in and around the stadium.”

“The partnership forms part of the stadium’s long-term strategic intent to ‘go green’,” said Central Gauteng Lions CEO Jono Leaf-Wright. “This means helping to protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations. As stadium management, it is imperative to utilise more environmentally and ecologically friendly practices to sustain future generations. Everything we can do as society to help our country and planet, we must.”

Leaf-Wright concludes by saying, “It is our collective responsibility as sport and business to find innovative ways to protect our planet, and we are very proud of both the partnership with Imperial and the SolarSaver Group, and being the leading stadium in the country to explore this space.”

Author: Babalwa Bungane

Babalwa Bungane is a content creator/editor for ESI Africa – Clarion Events Africa. Babalwa has been writing for the publication for five years. She has a great interest in social media due to its advantage of disseminating content.

This article was originally published on ESI Africa and is republished with permission with minor editorial changes.