In what will be a first for the Constantia Valley, South Africa’s oldest wine-producing farm, Groot Constantia, is in the process of harnessing the power of community to go solar.
A crowdsale for a 165 kilowatts (kW) solar plant to power the estate’s winemaking facilities and restaurants is now being hosted on the Sun Exchange solar-leasing platform.
Through this crowdsale, people across South Africa and the globe can buy solar cells for R64 per cell, which will be installed in the solar plant that will power Groot Constantia.
The solar-leasing model will enable Groot Constantia to access solar power at a rate lower than standard utility rates, while solar cell owners earn a stream of income and support the estate’s transition to clean energy.
Having run throughout the month of July, the crowdsale is currently 75% sold with 668 people from across 61 countries already having purchased more than R2 million in solar.
Abraham Cambridge, CEO of Sun Exchange, says the installation process will begin immediately once all of the 43 448 solar cells needed for the plant have been sold. The solar plant will be installed on the roof of the Groot Constantia production cellar.
“Roof preparation work has already started on site and the installation process will take a matter of weeks. We expect Groot Constantia to be using the solar power by mid-September, if not sooner,” says Cambridge.
He explains that solar cells are the base units of a solar panel.
“What I like to call, ‘the business-facing end of the solar plant’, in that they are the parts of the solar panel that produce electricity when exposed to sunlight. In the Groot Constantia project, each solar panel is made up of 144 solar cells.”
According to Cambridge, the plant’s 165 kW capacity will cover about one-third of the energy needs for the estate’s wine making facilities and restaurants.
“All our energy forecasts take into account rainfall. Although this project may not produce as much energy as a system in say, Springbok, the energy is valuable and the savings still very meaningful to Groot Constantia. Under optimal sunny conditions, it may cover their full daytime power needs.”
He adds that this solar project is designed predominantly for “self-use”, with any surplus energy exported to the City of Cape Town, where it will be sold on to other energy consumers, “perhaps even other wine farms”.
Over its 20-year lifespan, the solar plant at the estate is expected to avoid the emission of 4 700 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) – a greenhouse gas that helps to trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Groot Constantia has a long history of implementing initiatives to ensure it does no harm through its farming practices. The estate has invested time and resources on refining responsible production practices by spearheading innovations in water, energy efficiency and climate adaptation and integrated environmental management systems.
Jean Naudé, CEO of Groot Constantia, says its transition to solar power is the next step in its commitment to conservation.
“For centuries, Groot Constantia has been a place where people from across South Africa and the world come together to enjoy great wine and South Africa’s heritage and natural beauty. Now, we’re looking to the future and working with Sun Exchange to bring together a global community to be part of our solar project. This enables us to protect and conserve that heritage and natural beauty,” says Naudé.
Groot Constantia is Sun Exchange’s third partnership with a stakeholder in the wine industry. Founded in 2015, the company has ‘solar powered’ more than 60 businesses, farms, schools and other organisations in southern Africa.
Cambridge says this project will set a precedent across South Africa’s wine and tourism industries.
“It demonstrates that transitioning away from fossil fuels is the best decision, from a climate perspective, but also financially.”
- For more information, visit www.sunexchange.com
