The solar panels will supply just about 8% of the centre’s electricity requirements. The project was managed by Spire Sustainable Solutions on behalf of the Tower Property Fund who owns De Ville. Deville Shopping Centre in South Africa becomes one of numeral shopping malls that have embraced solar panels on rooftops.

Head of Sustainability at Spire Sustainable Solutions, Simon Penso said that this is the biggest solar installation undertaken by his team to date and initial results are very exciting.

“The installed peak is 319Kw and we are very pleased with these early results. The system went live on Wednesday, November 11 and produced 317Kw,” Penso said.

The PV installation is being monitored through a roof top weather station that conveys the results to an online portal that allows Spire Property Management to check on the operation of the system.

Solar panels are also being installed at 6-8 Sturdee Avenue and 382 Jan Smuts in Johannesburg, In addition to the installation at the De Ville Shopping Centre.

The installations are expected to supply approximately R1.2m worth of electricity in the first year of operation.

The value of the power will increase in direct proportion to electricity price increases and the power resold on to tenants.

CEO of Spire Property Management, Gregg Huntingford says that Spire’s new division, through their relationship with the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), contains some of the best available skills as well as access to the best breed practices and resources.

“We have launched Sustainable Solutions division in a move to embrace a new campaign, #betterbuildgreen that is being launched at the COP21 Climate Change Talks. The sustainable Solutions Division has greatly contributed to our focus on green retrofitting such as the recent PV solar installation at De Ville,” says Huntingford.

“This campaign aims at creating awareness for the role of buildings in global warming.

The built environment is a significant contributor to energy use and emissions.

The campaign also puts to focus the need to reduce emissions by a significant margin and address water and energy use in the fight against global warming,” adds HuntingfordSpire is pleased and excited to be playing this major role in moving the built environment in South Africa towards a more sustainable future through the work undertaken by Spire Sustainable Solutions.

“We eagerly anticipate rolling out more green measures on behalf of our clients and for the market at large,” concludes Huntingford.