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Solar roll-out helping industrial gas group meet environmental goals

Air Products GM Maropeng Bahula speaks to Engineering News Online about the company’s newly-installed solar rooftop PV system, while Jeka Energy CEO Thembani Marhanele touches on some of the system’s specifics. Video: Creamer Media’s Nicholas Boyd. Editing: Creamer Media’s Christo Greyling

28th June 2019

By: Simone Liedtke

Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

     

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A solar photovoltaic (PV) roof-mounted power plant system installed at industrial and speciality gas manufacturer and supplier Air Products’ Kempton Park facility generates sufficient energy to meet between 60% and 70% of the facility’s day-time requirements, Air Products GM Maropeng Bahula says.

The plant, installed by black-owned Jeka Energy, can also be expanded into a hybrid system in the future to store energy to cater for the facility’s night-time energy requirements.

The installed system is designed to generate up to 329 394 kWh in its first year of operation.

Bahula tells Engineering News that the power plant forms part of the company’s commitment to sustainability.

“Essentially, our aim and our commitment is to ensure we continually reduce our environmental impact,” he avers.

Meanwhile, Bahula says Air Products chose Jeka to install the solar PV plant, as it had executed “a project of this nature” before. Further, the company had competent engineers and had demonstrated financial acumen.

“[Another] element we looked at was essentially that they have offered us, as part of the system, a remote monitoring system – we can basically monitor the generation of electricity or energy using this solar system,” he highlights.

Engineering News also spoke to Jeka Energy CEO Thembani Marhanele, who said that solar energy was “a valuable tool for companies such as Air Products, as the solar energy generated can be stored and used during peak demand periods if a hybrid system is installed”.

Marhanele tells Engineering News that the Kempton Park facility had enough roof space to install solar panels facing east, west and north, making the Air Products facility unique.

The adequate roof space, Marhanele highlights, allows the facility to cover the energy requirements of each building, which “makes it a very different system”.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Online Managing Editor

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