Fourways Mall in Johannesburg is getting a rooftop solar power system with a peak capacity of 6.3 megawatts (6.3MWp).
The planned development was detailed in the financial results of Accelerate Property Fund, which owns half of the mall. Azrapart owns the other half.
The company said the installation was part of a broader sustainability push managed by the mall’s asset and property managers: Flanagan & Gerard and Moolman Group.
The two companies began an ambitious revamp of the 178,000-square-metre mall in 2019, aiming to revive its status as a premier shopping centre and entertainment destination.
Part of this revitalisation is transitioning the mall’s power supply to renewable energy, supporting a longer-term strategy to reduce its environmental impact and ensure energy security.
While the owners have provided no further details on the planned plant, the Southern African Steel Institute published details on some of the supporting infrastructure for the rooftop solar system.
The system will be deployed on a newly built roof for which the steel and cladding work was completed in mid-2025.
“The structural framing consists of columns, rafters and purlins connected to concrete columns constructed on an existing concrete structural framework,” SASI explained.
“The complete project consisted of six roofs, which interfaced with the existing lift-shafts and feature roofs.”
Five of the six roofs were enclosed with sheeting, while the last will be used to accommodate solar panels.
The institute added that placing and loading the steel required lightweight equipment, including customised trailers and spider cranes, to avoid overloading the existing concrete structure.
With the upgrade, Fourways Mall will join the 76% of the 209 shopping malls in Gauteng that The Outlier identified as having rooftop solar power.
Most of the solar panels were initially installed in response to load-shedding and to reduce their reliance on expensive diesel-powered generators.
Joining the top five largest in the country
In recent years, plummeting prices for solar panels, inverters, and batteries have prompted more businesses, including malls, to embrace self-generation to cut their electricity bills.
While it certainly has substantial production potential, the Fourways Mall facility will not even be in the top five largest mall-based solar power systems in South Africa.
Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Umhlanga recently became the site of the largest mall-based rooftop solar power system.
Its system boasts a capacity of 7.67 MWp, comprising 11,353 panels spread across 35 roofs. Forty-two 150kW inverters convert the panels’ DC energy into usable AC power.
The second-largest system is on the roof of the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Germiston, which has a capacity of 7.263MWp.
Trade Route Mall in Lenasia has a 7.2MWp system, Boardwalk Inkwazi in Richards Bay has a 6.79MWp facility, and Midlands Mall in Pietermaritzburg boasts a 6.533MWp plant.
The two largest rooftop solar power systems overall in South Africa are at car factories. Mercedes-Benz’s KuGompo factory has a 14.57MWp rooftop-mounted plant.
Ford’s Silverton plant in Pretoria has a parkade-mounted system with a 13.5MWp capacity, sufficient to supply 35% of its annual demand.
These facilities form part of more than 19.2GW of large-scale private generation facilities registered with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa between 2018 and 2026.
Source: mybroadband.co.za
