Acsa to start with solar power at six regional airports
GEORGE — Airports Company SA (Acsa) would invest about R90m in the next 12 months in installing solar photovoltaic panels at six of its smaller regional airports to contain electricity costs and secure supply, Andre Vermeulen, group executive: airports, said.South African businesses have been increasingly diversifying their power sources as tariff hikes and looming carbon taxes have made Eskom’s coal-fired power less competitive than renewable energy.Speaking at the official launch on Friday of a 750kW capacity solar installation at George Airport, costing R16m, Mr Vermeulen said the price of 80c/kilowatt hour (kWh) that Acsa was paying for power justified its investment. Taking all factors into account for a 20-year plant life, the net present value of the George installation was R17.5m. The cost of maintenance would be about R250,000 a year.Mr Vermeulen said savings would be passed on to Acsa’s customers, as it was aiming to keep tariffs flat, or even to decrease them, in the next...
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