Owners save 8,500 tons of carbon waste
Standard Bank’s personal customers have offset this amount of carbon waste
A cosmic journey to Venus, a distance of just over 42 million kilometers from earth, in one of South Africa’s leading bakkies, would create over 8500 tons of carbon waste. It would take a fleet of 10 bakkies following the equator a hundred times around the earth to release the same amount of carbon waste into the atmosphere.
To date, Standard Bank’s personal customers have offset this amount of carbon waste with the installation of more than 7000 solar panels. The bank predicts that given the growth and demand on solar in South Africa, its customers could potentially save a further 25 000 tons of carbon emissions this year based on expected growth. That’s another 125 million kilometers in South Africa’s leading bakkie, or a trip halfway to Mars.
Marc du Plessis, Standard Bank’s Head of LookSee Says: “It’s a no brainer when one considers the environmental benefits of something like solar energy. The energy itself is abundant and free – why not harness it? It is no secret that South Africa has immense potential in solar production, due to high levels of solar radiation throughout the year. The country’s solar potential is estimated to exceed 1,600-kilowatt hour (kWh) per square meter.”
The solar potential of South Africa based on those calculations is roughly the same as more than 1000 Koeberg Power Stations.
Du Plessis says, “Our abundance of energy is undeniable. The environmental benefits cannot be refuted. So, what’s stopping us? For many years, the cost of technology was out of synch with the price of bulk power. However, we are now reaching a tipping point where demand has driven down prices of available technology, making a kWh price comparison between solar and bulk power very attractive.”
Solar can currently be produced at between R1.18 and R1.85 per kWh, while Eskom bulk power is suppled in the region of R2.50 per kWh. South Africans could be harvesting free solar energy in as little as 5 years once the costs of solar has been recouped.
“It’s your time to shine,” says Du Plessis.