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In Phase 2, SPS plans to construct and connect a 5MW solar farm to the Eskom substation in Darling A brighter future has emerged in the Darling Green Country Estate’s green energy transition. This comes after the launch of a 1.2MW solar farm that will provide clean power to the residents of the estate and the Swartland Municipality. Sustainable Power Solutions (SPS), an asset management company in the renewable energy sector, is the developer of this solar farm. Speaking at the launch, Francois van Themaat, the Managing Director (Large Projects) at SPS, said they are proud to be associated with this project. According to Van Themaat, the solar farm features about 2,000 panels and 18 inverters that convert solar power from DC to AC. A single-axis tracker follows the sun from east to west, allowing the farm to generate around 2.6MWh of clean energy each year. This energy will supply the estate and eventually feed into the Swartland grid. He added that it will save roughly 2,500 tonnes of carbon emissions. The project marks the first phase of a pioneering 6MW solar initiative in the town, with the initial 1MW solar farm serving as the foundation for the larger project. 5MW solar farm to be constructed in Phase 2 to increase clean energy access In Phase 2, he stated that SPS plans to construct and connect a 5MW solar farm to the Eskom substation in Darling, increasing the region’s access to environmentally friendly energy sources. The solar plants will be adjacent to one another. “There are a lot of opportunities that we’ll also discuss to show our commitment to the Swartland community. We look forward to this journey, and we hope we can have batteries and EV charging stations and be really a part of the municipality over the next 25 years,” said Van Themaat. Darling Green Country Estate founding shareholder Klaus-Gustav Göbel said the estate is built around partnerships. “It’s been a 20-year journey, we bought the farm 20 years ago and today, 20 years later we’re standing here to celebrate a solar farm that probably took about 6-8 years alone from conception to be at this point.” He added that partnerships between developers and the municipalities were key. “We believe that there needs to be a stronger relationship there because many other entities rely on this relationship. We value the relationship we have with the Swartland municipality,” he said. Amy Levendal, Stakeholder and Relationship Manager for Ranyaka, a town planning non-profit organisation, shared that the development was not initially met with enthusiasm. She said the conversations with the estate started a while back, and they were invited to help facilitate conversations and engagements in the community. “I think that in itself speaks volumes of the character of the Darling Country Estate, because it’s not often that you find that large businesses or property developers have the courage to say, ‘We actually don’t just want to build structures; we want to build spaces and places for the community to also thrive’.” She shared that there was a lot of resilience and scepticism because communities had been let down and disappointed in the past. She said that through these engagements and conversations, they were able to build trust with the community and start having “daring conversations”. “I think today is not just a ribbon-cutting for us. I think it’s a celebration of resilience, of conversations, of collaborations. And I think it’s a celebration of what happens when we don’t just build structures, but we build networks, we build collaborative partnerships, and we build spaces where our communities can truly thrive.” |
