Woermann Group invests N$30m in solar power

THE Woermann Brock Retail and Wholesale Group has invested about N$30 million in solar power installations at most of its branches in the country.

The wholesale, which recently inaugurated its 12th photovoltaic solar power installation worth an estimated N$3 million in Windhoek’s Olympia suburb, has become one of the leading and biggest private solar energy investors in Namibia.

The wholesaler’s managing director, Jesko Woermann, said the decision to install solar panels at most of the Woermann Brock stores was based on the moral obligation to reduce carbon emission and to save on normal electricity consumption.

“Producing our own electricity from the sun with these solar power plants is an excellent business investment especially when you take the continually rising electricity tariffs into consideration,” he said. “At the same time, it is [an] expression of our responsibility for protecting the environment and for alleviating the huge lack of public electricity in Namibia.”

The solar panels that were installed by the Swiss company HopSol Africa supply the supermarket with electricity for their day-to-day requirements.

HopSol Africa Chief Executive Officer Björn Wilschke said that the energy produced through solar will reduce the supermarket’s daily electricity intake to 40% over a period of seven to eight years and will enable the company to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide by an estimated amount of 17 000 tonnes per year.

He said the company has so far installed a capacity of 1,5 megawatt peak with over 10 000 solar panel modules in Khomasdal, Olympia, Rehoboth, Tsumeb, Grootfontein, Wanaheda, Goreangab, Gobabis, Katutura, Ombilli, /Ae//gams and Eros.

“This is equivalent to electrical power of a village like Karibib or an equivalent to electricity consumption of about 5 000 rural households,” he said.

The Group will continue to roll-out their investment programme with HopSol Africa for all its supermarkets countrywide that have not yet had photovoltaic solar power plants installed.

The next solar power plants will be installed in Woermann branches in Oshakati and Ondangwa.

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