- As part of Vodacom’s energy and carbon management strategy and commitment to reducing its impact on the environment, Vodacom has installed new solar-powered sites in Polokwane, Vereeniging and Bloemfontein.
- Vodacom has invested over R8 million in these solar-powered sites, as part of its ongoing commitment to securing alternative energy sources to power its operations where feasible.
- These three sites are in addition to a solar project installed at a base station controller site in Randburg, Gauteng, in May last year.
Collectively, the three new sites will generate approximately 127 MWh of energy on an annual basis, which will help to reduce the telco’s carbon emissions and lower its electricity consumption. The solar panels will also ease the load on the sites’ batteries in the event of load-shedding, ensuring network reliability, quality and seamless connectivity for customers.
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“As the demand for digital services grows, we will need more energy to keep these services running. In anticipation of this growth, and despite the current economic challenges, we are investing in strategies to decrease our energy consumption while reducing the use carbon intensive sources of energy. By reducing our carbon footprint, our aim is to mitigate climate change and its effects on the planet. Solar-powered sites are just one of the innovative ways to introduce cleaner, more sustainable energy sources to keep our mobile networks running and our customers connected in an ever increasing digital society,” says Takalani Netshitenzhe, Executive Director of External Affairs at Vodacom South Africa.
Last year, Vodacom saved a total of 11 971 MWh of electricity through its energy management strategy, which included investing in energy efficiency projects such as IoT capabilities and renewable energy solutions like solar power. This reduced the company’s total energy cost by R 16 million for that financial year.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
