- South African construction company who provides EPC services for utility scale solar projects, Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO), has installed a rooftop solar system at their headquarters in Wynberg, Johannesburg as part of their ‘Going Green’ project.
- The system consists of 560 kWp solar array, 750 kW inverter capacity and 1576 kWh battery storage.
“Being able to define an optimal combination of technologies to meet inconsistent demand is a delicate dance to get it right. We took it hour by hour, day by day, across the seasons on a statistically determined basis, so that it makes technical and financial sense as well. Averages don’t work well in the world of electricity supply and demand matching. You have to hit the precise point where energy meets economy,” explained Russell Adams, Director at the Projects Division of WBHO.
The project involved structural changes to the buildings with concrete blocks placed on the roofs to secure maximum solar panel metreage. 140 tons of ballast were placed on the roofs and 50 tons of steel mountings were installed.
“The investment in the project not only makes environmental sense, but it makes economic sense as well,” said Adams.” Prior to this project, the company spent more than R100,000 per month on diesel to mitigate stage 6 loadshedding at its head office. The ‘Going Green’ project is an investment of R20 million that will, in the long-term, pay for itself. But looking beyond immediate electricity concerns, this is a huge step in reducing our carbon footprint and contributing to a construction sector that is becoming more environmentally aware every day.”
“Our teams now use these cutting-edge learnings in bids for other clients. We can translate this relatively small-scale endeavour into big projects,” concluded Adams. WBHO is currently constructing solar projects totalling 325 MW.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
