Telecommunications group Vodacom South Africa is preparing for the first phase of a project that will ultimately result in the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at its Midrand Campus.

As part of the group’s sustainable strategy around energy management, a power purchase agreement (PPA) between Vodacom South Africa and the local vendors installing its solar system has been signed, with Phase 1 of the project set for completion in March.

The initial phase, set to start soon, will see solar PV panels installed on the company headquarters’ rooftop and carports.

Phases 2 and 3 will start in April 2023, with Phase 2 expected to be completed by October 2023, and Phase 3 two months later.

“This solution will allow Vodacom’s headquarters to generate around 10.8 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of its own clean power every year, which is roughly 21% of the headquarters’ power consumption, reducing its reliance on coal-generated electricity from the national grid,” says Vodacom South Africa MD Sitho Mdlalose.

Phase 1 will deliver an energy generating capacity of two megawatt peaks (MWp), which will increase to 6.5 MWp after the completion of the Phase 2 and Phase roll-outs across the rest of the campus.

“The amount of power generated through the Midrand project will help Vodacom reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by around 11 448-million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), with plans under way to pursue more initiatives like these across Vodacom South Africa’s operating footprint,” he explains.

In May, Vodacom committed to halving its GHG emissions by 2025, through on-site renewable-energy generation.

In September, Vodacom installed new solar-powered sites in Polokwane, Vereeniging and Bloemfontein, which collectively generate about 127 MWh each yearly.

The three solar-powered sites in South Africa form part of the 1 088 solar-powered sites across all of Vodacom’s markets.

The company installed the largest single rooftop solar installation at its Century City offices in Cape Town in 2012, and Vodacom Lesotho’s head office has been powered by solar energy since 2017.

Last year, Vodacom sourced 1 183 898 kWh of energy through PPAs, which helped it save 11 971 MWh of electricity, while reducing its GHG emissions by 12 272-million tonnes of CO2e. This reduced the company’s total energy cost for that financial year by R16-million.