Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore and Solarus have announced the first large-scale commercial hybrid Photovoltaic and Thermal (PVT) project in the city, which will reduce its energy consumption.
Park Inn has installed 30 PowerCollectors – located on the hotel’s rooftop – set to be complete shortly and scheduled to be fully operational by the end of March, producing an average of 1050kWh of energy per week for the hotel.
In addition, the installation saves 79 000 litres of water per year by reducing energy used from the grid.
The PowerCollectors, technology that combines the generation of thermal (T) energy with the photovoltaic (PV) generation of electricity, produce one of the highest energy yields ever measured. When compared with traditional solar panels, the PowerCollector produces both electricity and hot water output up to 70°C and delivers three times more energy on the same surface area.
GM of Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore, Jim Schleigh, comments: “In the hospitality industry, there is a high heat demand and energy cost. It was with this in mind, and our unwavering responsible business mindset that installing the 30 PowerCollectors, maximising our small rooftop, made sense. With the location of our hotel, our rooftop is also the perfect place to absorb as much sun as possible and generate three times more energy.”
Global Vice President: Responsible Business for Radisson Hotel Group, Inge Huijbrechts, says: “We aim to align with the global targets of the COP21 Paris Climate Agreement and significantly reduce our hotels’carbon footprint. As part of our Think Planet pillar in our Responsible Business strategy, one of the areas we are focusing on is increasing the number of Radisson Group hotels making use of renewable energy.”
According to Huijbrechts, renewable energy has immense untapped potential: “One of the key steps in our strategy is to partner with innovative companies such as Solarus, who strive to provide a clean, renewable alternative energy source, actively diverting the burgeoning energy demand from CO2-intensive sources and thereby helping to combat climate change.”
