Investment enables Mombo to switch to renewable energy
Mombo Camp in Botswana has officially switched over from diesel-powered generators to renewable solar energy, following an investment of BWP 6 million (US$860 000).
According to group sustainability director, Derek de la Harpe, Wilderness will not build another camp without incorporating a major element of renewable energy. "At the same time we have embarked on an ambitious retrofitting process with Mombo now joining Xigera, Kalahari Plains, Banoka Bush Camp and Zarafa as being 100% solar powered. Over the course of 2012 we anticipate completing this process for at least another three camps, the rebuilt DumaTau among them."
Carbon emissions can drop by 97%
The Mombo solar array consists of 396 photovoltaic panels of 230W each, with 194 batteries. This equates to a 91 kilowatt array that produces in excess of 450kWh per day. In addition 30 solar geysers have reduced the need for fossil fuel usage even further meaning that the risk - and carbon footprint - of delivering fuel to Mombo across the fragile Okavango Delta is even further mitigated.
In simple terms this means that reduction in expected carbon emissions for Mombo over 2012 are of the order of 97%. The camp thus expects to emit only 6.5 tonnes of CO2 equivalents over the course of 2012 compared to 215 tonnes during 2011.
