Bryanston, Johannesburg: Leading Suburb in Solar Energy

Coachman’s Crossing Shopping Centre is yet another establishment in Bryanston that is set to receive a solar power plant on its sunny rooftops. The Coachman Crossing’s solar power installation is in conjunction with the R30m solar power project being executed by South African Corporate Real Estate (Sacre). 

Sacre, JSE-listed real estate investment trust, is using the allocated R30m to install solar photovoltaic plants on a variety of rooftops throughout Gauteng. Besides Coachman’s Crossing in Bryanston, other malls that are getting solar panel powered makeovers in the near future include Town Square shopping centre in Weltevredenpark; Forest Road Design and Décor in Forways; Celtis Ridge shopping centre in Centurion and East Point shopping centre in Boksburg.

Carmen Collison, Sacre’s retail asset manager, said that Sacre had already invested close to R26.2m in solar energy to date. She also reiterated the company’s confidence in solar power by stating, “Energy efficiency for businesses is a low-risk investment which yields substantial rewards.” -http://www.engineeringnews.co.za 

Terra Firma, leading solar panel specialists, is the company that is to be responsible for designing and executing the solar plants at the various centres.

Coachman’s Crossing is not the first mall in Bryanston to receive solar panels on its rooftop. In late 2015, Emira, South African property fund, implemented a successful solar panel plant at Epson Down’s Shopping Centre in Bryanston East. The plant produces around 271kWp and saves around 515,000Kw every year. 
Justin Bowen, development manager for Emira, said in a press statement: “Our pilot solar power project has proven successful and delivered real, tangible benefits that we are excited to extend to Randridge Mall.” -http://www.bizcommunity.com.

Since this statement was made late last year, Emira’s second solar venture at Randridge Mall has been successfully implemented.

The vast, vacant areas on malls’ rooftops make for the ideal places for these photovoltaic plants, that assist greatly in bringing down electricity bills and reducing the vicinity’s carbon footprint. In most instances, these solar plants cannot power the entire mall but they go a long way in reducing the general power intake from conventional power sources, such as Eskom. With South Africa’s electricity prices ever-increasing, having an independent and sustainable source of power is highly favourable.

DHL Express is another popular brand that has jumped on the solar power bandwagon. Their Bryanston sustainable energy farm has a 10,000 litre rainwater harvesting system and a rooftop solar plant, which has reduced the building’s energy consumption by an impressive 55%.

Solar power has become a fast-growing, international trend. Energy efficient properties are definitely the way of the future and are highly sought after. Properties that are powered by alternative energy sources are often occupied by high-end tenants, who do not mind paying higher rates for the initial costs of implementing solar power if it means a greener office space with less impact on the environment. 

Considering the three, major, aforementioned solar initiatives in Bryanston, it is obvious that the suburb is a trail-blazer in terms of sustainable energy. On top of the discussed initiatives, there are dozens of smaller solar projects taking place in Bryanston’s residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

With Bryanston being on top of energy-efficient trends, as well as having many useful amenities at hand, it is one of the finest commercial property nodes in the province. Office Place, commercial property specialists, currently have over 150 commercial listings in the area. If you are interested in energy-efficient office spaces in the affluent suburb of Bryanston, contact an OfficePlace property broker today.