Growthpoint Properties (JSE: GRT) is piloting a 4,5 MW battery system at Paarl Mall to store electricity for its continuous, cost-efficient power supply.
This is the largest commercial battery installation in South Africa to date, and it will be partly charged by Paarl Mall’s new rooftop solar PV plant, extending the positive impacts of renewable sun-powered energy around the clock.
Growthpoint’s R50 million investment in the system continues its push towards carbon neutrality by 2050. Providing sustainable, financially-viable energy solutions to clients, and powering its buildings with clean, renewable sources are key for Growthpoint’s ESG targets. Over more than a decade, Growthpoint has installed 13,5 MW of solar power across its SA portfolio, but this is the first time it is integrating a large battery system.
“Battery technology has come a long way in recent years. Previously prohibitively expensive, batteries have become increasingly affordable, especially considering rapidly rising electricity prices and our imperative to help prevent costly business disruptions for our clients caused by load-shedding,” says Grahame Cruickshanks, Growthpoint Head of Sustainability and Utilities.
He said Growthpoint’s 42 000 m² Paarl Mall is an ideal pilot site to prove how a sizeable battery system linked to a solar plant improves the environmental performance of large shopping centres and lowers the cost of energy.
Paarl Mall recently undertook an energy-efficient H-VAC upgrade to lower its electricity consumption. Despite substantial energy savings the centre’s electricity bill was set to hike by a hefty R5 million a year because the mall’s decreased load factor meant it only qualified for a more expensive municipal electricity tariff. In light of this, Growthpoint needed to tailor a new solution to provide green energy to the entire mall while ensuring a consistent power supply and optimising energy costs.
Boasting more than 5 000 PV panels with a direct current capacity of 2,5 megawatts-peak (MWp) and generating 3 601 500 kilowatt hours (KWh) of energy annually, Paarl Mall’s new rooftop solar plant will span a massive 25 000 m². Its sealed-container 4,5 MW battery bank battery system, comprising three 20-foot containers with lithium-ion batteries, will be charged from both the mall’s solar power and the grid.
The system’s operation, production and yield will be monitored and managed off-site with the aim of optimal energy arbitrage, a technique where power is bought during off-peak hours, stored and used during peak hours. This enables peak-shaving that flattens the electrical load profile of the building. The system has also been designed to accommodate some of the mall’s demand during load shedding.
The project’s four-month installation is expected to be fully operational by mid-December.. Paarl Mall’s solar panels would cover 3.5 football fields. The solar and battery technology will reduce the mall’s carbon emissions by 3 601 500 tons of CO2 annually, which is the equivalent of:
– removing 2 800 passenger vehicles from our roads each year,
– 22 665 736 507 748 km travelled in an average diesel car, or
– 58 964 trips to the moon.. The system’s battery life is 15 years.. The total installed renewable energy capacity Growthpoint plans to install by 2026 is equivalent to planting 25 795 trees.
