Four sites in the Kruger National Park have generated massive energy cost savings as part of a solar photovoltaic (PV) installation project on eight state-owned tourism facilities last year.
This was highlighted by Minister Tourism, Patricia de Lille, during an oversight visit to the KNP yesterday.
One of the first stops was to receive a briefing from the SANParks management on general tourism activities, growth and trends.
“I wanted to hear first-hand what is working well, what’s new, what obstacles are preventing growth and how the Department of Tourism and other government departments can assist the SANParks management to optimise operations at the KNP.”
The installation of the solar facilities was a precursor to the Department of Tourism’s Green Tourism Incentive Programme – launched earlier this year, it sees the department co-funding energy and water retrofitting projects at privately owned tourism establishments to facilitate more sustainable operations and uninterrupted visitor experiences.
KNP project sites
The project sites selected in the KNP for implementation of solar PV energy generating systems included two rest camps (Skukuza and Lower Sabie) with existing electricity supply from the national Eskom grid (grid-connected sites) and two more-remote picnic sites (Tshokwane and Nkuhlu) that were originally reliant on diesel generators (off-grid sites).
The combined energy generating capacity installed on all four project sites in the KNP amounts to 1.9 MWp (Mega Watt peak), which was developed at a combined total cost of R64.18 million (€3.1m).
De Lille visited the solar PV installation at the Skukuza Rest Camp, highlighting that it comprised an installed capacity of 844.8kWp (kilowatt peak), and provided approximately one quarter of the daytime electricity demand for the entire Skukuza rest camp and administrative operations.
“Since commissioning at the end of May 2018, the system has reduced Skukuza’s electricity bill by an average of R136 000 (€752) per month, which translates to a saving of more than R8 million (€397 490) over the past five years,” the Minister said.
She also visited the solar PV installation at the Nkuhlu picnic site which replaced the original diesel generation system. The solar PV array has been fitted on an elevated structure that serves as shaded parking for tourist cars and open-top safari vehicles.
The system comprises 402 solar PV panels and 14 inverters with an installed capacity of 130kWp together with a 300kWp containerised battery storage facility to provide sufficient daytime and nighttime energy for all the operations (shop and basic tourist facilities) at Nkuhlu picnic site.
The total cost of the Nkuhlu solar PV and battery system was R8.3million (€412 860) and since commissioning in March 2018, the solar PV system has saved the Nkuhlu picnic site an average of 1 675 litres of diesel per month (20 000 litres per annum).
