Musk’s Tesla technology shining bright in game park
FOR a glimpse into a future world that Elon Musk’s Tesla is trying to create, you may want to start about 7½-hours outside of Johannesburg.
Here, at Singita Kruger National Park, the Sweni River ambles by, and the wildlife forage in a post-rainstorm burst of life. And among it stands one shining example of how to solve the world’s pressing energy needs.
Singita Kruger National Park’s Tesla-powered solar project is a game changer for the leisure industry, allowing the two lodges to lower their carbon footprint significantly.
By reducing their reliance on diesel, businesses are able to offer guilt-free, eco-friendly packages, without losing any of the luxury features attractive to tourists.
While solar power is not unique to game lodges, the industry hasn’t seen something on this scale before.
“Initially, we put 1 800 panels with the lead acid batteries. It was a huge system,” says Gavin McCabe, technical services manager at Singita Kruger National Park.
“That helped us drop our diesel consumption from 40 000 litres to about 20 000 litres. It was a 50% saving. At the end of last year, we began with the upgrade. Now we have 3 388 solar panels on the system. It has a transformer that sends power to our power pack sys- tem, which is now Tesla.”
The batteries are adapted from the same cell technology used in Tesla’s lithium ion batteries that power electric cars.
Singita has increased solar energy production by 1 000% to 219 454kWh, when compared to the first system in 2015. That’s enough energy to power more than 100 households in South Africa for two months.
Singita has seen a 79% drop in diesel used by the generators, saving 132 tons of carbon emissions.
“The beauty of the Tesla system is it’s all modulated. It’s also a lot more eco-friendly. We have three generators, and the system is all automated, so if there’s an extra demand and the solar can’t cope, then a generator kicks in. Solar Africa, who did the installation, felt that the Tesla system was the best tech- nology around,” McCabe says.
Singita is off the grid, and is self-sufficient. It’s able to generate and store power in a way that few other properties can.
“Our carbon footprint has dropped dramatically since we introduced this system,” he added.
The system is a marvel, and a walk through to see the inverters and generators reveals a completely orderly set-up – and silence. The Tesla branding gives a bit of a futuristic vibe to the place. Aesthetically too, you can see why Solar Africa chose the Tesla option.
It powers Singita Lebombo and its sister lodge, Sweni, which has been redesigned and will reopen next month.
Solar Africa and Tesla’s hand in making Singita more environmentally friendly are likely to inspire others.