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CONSTRUCTION WORLD SEPTEMBER 2015
ENVIRONMENT
Coega Development Corporation announced
recently that the roofs of about 15 of its buildings
within the Coega Industrial Development Zone
(IDZ) will be fitted with solar panels.
These CDC buildings have a collective roof space of 127 000 m2.
A request for proposals for the solar panel rooftop solution has
already been issued by the CDC. The project forms part of the
organisation’s commitment to renewable energy as an important source
of energy security.
“Existing buildings lend themselves well to rooftop solar panel instal-
lations. This project entails retrofitting roofs of the industrial buildings in
the Coega IDZ,” said Sandisiwe Ncemane CDC business development
manager: energy.
“We are also building a number of new industrial facilities, which will
be designed to enable the implementation of solar power solutions on the
roofs. CDC facilities to be built for investors are projected to provide a further
125 000 m2 of industrial space over the next five years.”
Eskomannounced that the electricity supply to the country will be highly
constrained for at least the next five years, due to drastic deterioration of
power stations. Load shedding, which has been implemented since the
beginning of 2008 to relieve the national grid, also presents a hidden cost
to society because frequent disruptions can slow down economic progress.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance is an agency which gives potential
investors a specific breakdown of the renewable energy investment
opportunities in 55 countries, including 19 in Africa. Last year they
conducted research that confirmed that South Africa ranked third in the
world after China and Brazil and first among African countries for clean
energy investment.
Ncemane added that due to the energy and climate change crisis in
South Africa, the creation of power through solar harvesting is an important
priority and opportunity for the country.
“Electricity generated from the sun is a significant contributor to the
needs of sustainable electricity output solutions, and can deliver economic
benefits to the country.”
The CDC has been mandated by the South African Government to
advance the Coega project as an integrated and holistic development, in
the shortest possible timeframe. The investment will indirectly contribute
to job creation and economic development in the Eastern Cape.
“The CDC has also built momentum on its Renewable Energy (RE)
strategy by attracting and sustaining domestic and foreign direct investment
in energy projects, which to date includes several ‘green’ energy compo-
nents manufacturing industries in wind power generation, solar energy
harvesting and bioenergy.”
Dr Ayanda Vilakazi, CDC head of marketing and communications said,
“Investment in solar energy will position the Coega IDZ as a green IDZ
with efficient energy at lower costs. This is also aimed at creating further
value for the CDC investors as Energy has been key to economic devel-
opment world-wide.”
Rudolf Pienaar, Growthpoint Properties Divisional
Director: Offices, has been appointed to the World
Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC’s) Board of
Directors. Pienaar is deputy chairman of the Green
Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), a member
of the WorldGBC.
TheWorldGBC connects a global coalition of more than 100 national
Green Building Councils and their 27 000 member companies with
a single mission: to transform the building industry and ensure our
buildings and cities are sustainable, healthy, efficient, and productive. Its Board
includes representation from five regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific,
Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa.
Pienaar was one of seven leaders in the global green building movement
to be recently appointed to the WorldGBC’s Board.
WorldGBC chairman, Bruce Kerswill, also from South Africa, comments:
“Pienaar brings with him regional knowledge and expertise that will be
valuable in helping WorldGBC increase our impact as we work through our
member GBCs to accelerate sustainability in the built environment around the
globe. We are fortunate to have such experienced and passionate individuals
on board, as the environmental challenges our planet faces are daunting and
we have a full agenda with some ambitious projects”.
Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the GBCSA, adds: “We’d like to congratulate
Pienaar on his appointment to theWorldGBC board. Pienaar has been a dedi-
cated and activemember of the GBCSA board and is a committed advocate of
green building practices. His appointment is richly deserved. He is a valuable
member of our team and will undoubtedly serve as an asset in his new role.”
Growthpoint Properties is South Africa’s largest JSE-listed REIT and a JSE
ALSI 40 company, which has property assets valued at nearly R100-billion.
Growthpoint is a Platinum Founding Member of the GBCSA, a JSE Socially
Responsible Investment (SRI) Index company and a Dow Jones Sustainability
Index company. It is a top performer in the CDP Climate Performance Index.
Growthpoint owns or co-owns the largest portfolio of green buildings
of any company in South Africa. It co-sponsored the GBCSA’s Energy and
Water Benchmarking Tool and is taking part in the pilot programmes for the
Green Star SA Existing Building Performance Tool and the Socio-Economic
Category. It has also partnered with GBCSA for the Greenovate Awards pilot
which encourages students of the built environment to find ways to live more
sustainably and helps link environmental challenges to innovative thinking.
Pienaar has been at the forefront of South Africa’s movement for a
sustainable built environment since 2008 and has championed many of
Growthpoint’s green building achievements. He has 30 years of experience
in the property industry and is an avid advocate for green building. Pienaar
has been a member of the GBCSA board since 2010, chairs its Marketing
Committee and sits on its Exco.
Commenting on his appointment, Pienaar says he is looking forward to
the opportunity to exchange information and learn valuable lessons from
around the globe.
“By freely sharing information on a global scale, about both our successes
and failures in green building, we have more positive andmeaningful impacts
COEGA’S SOLAR ROOF-
TOP PANELS
The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) is getting ready to install
solar panels on rooftops of buildings located in the Industrial Develop-
ment Zone (IDZ) in Nelson Mandela Bay.
>
WORLD GREEN BUILDING
COUNCIL APPOINTMENT
Rudolf Pienaar has been
appointed to the World
Green Building Council’s
board of directors.
>
on our cities, environment and
societies. I am extremely proud to
be representing our country and
our continent in the effort to drive
green building forward with greater
pace and results,” says Pienaar.