With electricity rates increasing continuously and the supply of electricity being unreliable, Atlantic Fertilisers felt obligated to consider sustainable long-term alternatives.

The Atlantic factory, situated outside Philadelphia near Cape Town, is totally dependent on electricity supply. Our primary business, namely the pelletising of chicken manure, requires high energy inputs in the form of electricity. The factory is equipped with a standby diesel generator that can supply the whole production, however this is a very costly alternative.

Management has been considering the installation of solar power for a while, but to bring the project to life, the following was implemented:

• The factory’s warehouse area had to be increased by 2500m². The increased warehouse area provided not only roof area for solar panels, but also added the advantage of the factory being able to produce extra stock,  for the quieter months, which assisted in meeting the demand in the peak months during the autumn and spring seasons.
• After investigating several options, SPV Solar Group was appointed to install a 360 kWhp solar system on the new roof. This was the first phase, with the planned expansion, enabling us to eventually generate 40% of our electricity consumption ourselves. 

This service delivery will not only make our company more resistant to unpredictable factors, but it will also go hand in hand with our credo for sustainable farming practices: ‘Work with nature, not against it.’  

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