Hotel brand Park Inn by Radisson, together with hybrid solar products producer Solarus, installed a large-scale commercial hybrid photovoltaic and thermal (PVT) project in Cape Town’s central business district – the first PVT project in the city. (This took place in March 2018 – it was fully installed by March 2018)
The project entailed the installation of 30 PowerCollectors is a unique technology that combines the generation of thermal energy with the photovoltaic generation of electricity to produce one of the highest energy yields.
When compared to traditional solar panels, the PowerCollector produces both electricity and hot water output of up to 70 ˚C and delivers three times more energy on the same surface area.
The installation, located on the hotel’s rooftop, produces an average of 1 050 kWh of energy a week for the hotel. The energy produced – in conjunction with the reduced demand from the grid – will provide electricity and heat throughout the hotel and will save the hotel about €250 000 in heating and energy costs over a 20-year period.
Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore has installed 30 innovative PowerCollectors, a unique technology which combines generation of thermal (T) energy with the photovoltaic (PV) generation of electricity and produces one of the highest energy yields ever measured.
When compared to traditional Solar panels, the PowerCollector produces both electricity and hot water output up to 70°C and delivers 3 times more energy on the same surface area.
In addition to the renewable energy produced on the roof of the hotel, the installation also saves 79 000 liters of water per year by reducing energy used from the grid. This is because for every kWh electricity bought from the South African power utility company Eskom uses 1,45 liters of water to produce.
This is significant, since water saving is a fundamental factor to any resident or business located in Cape Town, due to the city’s current water crisis.