Leading South African truck and trailer body building company Serco’s premises in Gauteng are now fully powered by solar energy
The company’s ongoing commitment to green initiatives have seen a state-of-the-art 150kW hybrid solar system introduced with 370 x 405Watt panels, and the latest high voltage inverters coupled with 320kW’s of batteries, installed at the factory in Boksburg.
This development follows the installation of solar power at Serco’s Durban factory in the Phoenix Industrial Park in 2019 which has up to now saved more than 618 tons in carbon emissions.
And whereas the solar system at the Durban buildings provides full power to the premises during the day with a switch back onto the grid at night when far less electricity is required, Johannesburg’s system produces a constant 24-hour supply by using the inverter and batteries!
The system runs the property during load shedding with no need for a generator, resulting in massive savings in diesel as well as removing the noise element.
Durban’s 340kw peak system has the potential to save Serco up to 75% of its electricity costs at the plant.
Next in line to go solar, is Serco’s premises in Cape Town where installation should be completed before the end of the year.
The initiatives are part of Serco’s drive to reduce its impact on the environment and go hand-in- hand with other “greening developments” including the recycling of paper and plastic it uses. The green machine approach complements the elevated environmental friendliness of the company’s award-winning Protec Steel Frostliner refrigerated vehicles which through improved thermal efficiency use less diesel to power their cooler units thus reducing carbon emissions.
“We believe that businesses have a critical role to play in addressing environmental challenges. Our adoption of solar power is a testament to our dedication to sustainable manufacturing and our responsibility towards the planet,” said Clinton Holcroft CEO of Serco.
