Sun City is moving forward with its plans to go “off grid” by installing solar panels on the roofs of The Palace and hotels within the resort.

The resort recently covered all available space on the roof of Sun Central. This is the third phase of its plan, which will reduce the resort’s demand on the national grid by an estimated 2,3 MW. “This phase will add an additional 690 kWp, increasing our total to nearly 4 000 solar panels installed across the resort. As of June 10, Sun City has already saved and produced a total of 2 203 886,97 kWh,” says Senior Operations Engineer of Tsebo Energy Solutions, TM Lesetla, who has partnered with the resort to install the solar system.

“Conventional installation methods, such as cranes, would have inconvenienced our guests so, given the scale of the project, we decided that airlifting the equipment was the best and quickest solution. At its highest point, The Palace is 70 m high so lifting 1 193 solar panels and the supporting steel structures onto the roof is no mean feat. The hefty panels were packed into crates with each one weighing just under a ton,” says Brett Hoppé, General Manager of Sun City.

The roll out of the panels forms part of a broader strategy that will take the resort off the grid, Hoppé says. “Sun City is an enormous property with many moving parts to power. We believe our ground-breaking project not only reduces our resort’s demand and energy consumption but it will also meet Sun International’s environmental commitment.”

In June 2023, the resort completed the first two phases of the project and it has already realised a saving of R3.1 million in electricity consumption.

“We work closely with all partners to ensure that members of our doorstep communities are employed, trained and upskilled to service the technology during building and after completion of the project. Sun City currently employs 18 locals through our solar project,” says Sun City Sustainability Manager, Lwazi Mswelanto.