The installation of the solar array is part of Vodacom's continuing drive to reduce the amount of energy the company consumes. Vodacom says it will also help the group save on utility bills and improve energy efficiency, all part of a plan to reduce the company's carbon emissions by 50% by 2020.
Vodacom said in its latest annual report it was exploring more efficient technologies and ways of doing business that minimise its environmental footprint. Some of the solutions explored include deep-cycle batteries, which reduce the dependency on diesel generators and free cooling, which reduces the need for air conditioners.
Suraya Hamdulay, Vodacom's executive head of media for corporate social investment and sustainability, said the group was planning on rolling out further energy savings solutions in its international markets and was also looking at various renewable and alternative energy options, such as solar- and wind-powered base stations, diesel-battery hybrids and fuel cells to reduce its reliance on grid power and diesel generators.
She said the company was investing millions of rand in maintaining the quality and resilience of its networks. Hamdulay said the group would roll out of more energy-efficient sites and use renewable energy where possible,
Vodacom has set a carbon reduction target of 5% per base station per year.
"The group's carbon footprint in 2013 was about 544,381m tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, up by 3% from 526,837m tons in 2012. However, the number of base stations increased by about 11%, effectively reducing Vodacom's carbon emissions per base station by 6.2% ahead of our 5% target," Hamdulay said.
Meanwhile, Nedbank is rolling out a power management system that is set to save the group between R2.2m and R3.5m a year. Nedbank says that once the system is implemented, it will achieve a carbon saving equivalent to taking 1,800 cars off the road each year. The three-month roll-out would be completed this month and would "dramatically reduce" the power consumption of the 30,000 personal computers and laptops used by Nedbank staff members nationally, the company said.
Colin Wheater, Nedbank's divisional executive of group technology's infrastructure and operations, said the power management system was "simple by design and encourages all 29,000 staff members to control their PC or laptop's power usage".
Source: Business Day via I-Net Bridge
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