Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore, South Africa has installed Cape Town Central Business District’s first large scale commercial hybrid Photovoltaic and Thermal (PVT) project.

Together with Solarus, the hotel has installed 30 innovative PowerCollectors, a unique technology which combines generation of thermal energy with the photovoltaic (PV) generation of electricity and produces one of the highest energy yields ever measured.

When compared to traditional Solar panels, the PowerCollector produces both electricity and hot water output up to 70°C and delivers 3 times more energy on the same surface area.

The installation on the hotel’s rooftop will be completed mid-March and is scheduled to be fully operational by end of March, producing average of 1050kWh of energy per week for the hotel.

In addition to the renewable energy produced on the roof of the hotel, the installation also saves 79000 liters of water per year by reducing energy used from the grid. This is significant due to the current water crisis in Cape Town.

The energy produced will provide electricity and heat throughout the hotel. Over a 20-year period, this installation will save the hotel approximately €250 000.