Kempton Park, JHB, Date: August 25th, 2020
Schauenburg Systems recently finalized the installation of a Solar Power Plant at their head office based in Kempton Park.
This photovoltaic system consists of 355 panels on the carports around the building and is designed to produce approx. 250 MWh per year. Even in winter during noon-time period when the sun peaks, it is able to produce 100% of the power that the entire site consumes. Excess capacity primarily on the weekends is fed back into the grid for free, as the local rules still do not foresee any credits for that. While the prices of electricity are predicted to climb significantly in the next ten years in SA, the prices of solar panels have come down making these investments more attractive.
In combination with other energy-saving activities like the recent replacement of all old air-conditioners by more energy efficient ones, the environmental related investments totalled 3.5 Mio Rand. This recent investment supplements the upgrading of the site in Kempton Park to a competitive and environmentally friendly office and production site for the years to come. This followed on from security related investments into an electronically managed gate-entrance in 2019.
Further to the installation of the solar plant, Schauenburg also operates in cooperation with an external service provider a recycling facility at their premises in Kempton Park. On a daily basis, it separates different types of recyclable waste, i.e. paper, plastics, glass and metal from all its products disposed from the mines.
“Schauenburg Systems pursues a policy centred around Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) targets, the central factors in measuring sustainable success. We are convinced that this concept will allow us long-term to live our growth-driven vision for the benefit of all our stakeholders”, say Dieter Kovar, CEO of Schauenburg International/ Africa Group.
Moreover, this investment fits perfectly to the overall sustainability strategy of the Schauenburg group. “Sustainability is one of our key principles”, states Florian G. Schauenburg, CEO of Schauenburg International Group. “The responsible use of resources in our manufacturing and the reduction of emissions are all accorded the very highest priority throughout our company activities. We very much appreciate this installation of the solar plant.”