Sacred Heart Project goes LIVE!
It wasn’t long ago — in September 2018, in fact — that we announced the start of a 117.5 kW project at Sacred Heart College, in Johannesburg. This school is famous for the fact that it became multi-racial in 1976, in defiance of the Apartheid Government’s racist Bantu Education policies.
About two months after the project’s announcement, all 25,623 solar cells had been sold to Sun Exchange members, including new Sun Exchange members made up of supporters and parents from the school. Construction could begin and was completed within a record-breaking 4 weeks.
We are delighted to announce that the project has now gone LIVE and is already streaming monetised sunshine around the world, creating a steady stream of income for our members. Over its lifetime, the project will save the school an estimated R3.3 million rand (~USD 250k)!
“Innovation is at the core of Sacred Heart’s approach to education. We are thrilled that we are reducing our energy costs and carbon emissions by deploying solar,” said Colin Northmore, Head of Sacred Heart College. “However, what really excites me about the Sun Exchange partnership is the educational opportunity it is providing for our students. When students turn on their tablets this year, they will know that the Wi-Fi they are connected with is being powered by the sun, and that’s a powerful way to learn about renewable energy and sustainability.”
Sun Exchange’s charity of choice for the Sacred Heart College project was Field of Flowers, a scholarship fund that was created by Sacred Heart College, and allows for previously disadvantaged children to attend Sacred Heart College. In total 777 cells were donated to Field of Flowers, at ZAR 73 (~USD 5) per cell this means that a value of ZAR 56,721 (~ USD 4,100) was raised. Over the 20 year lease period the estimated final amount that this will generate is ZAR 178,719 (~USD 13,000). Way to go Sun Exchange community!
To find our more about the project and Sacred Heart College, read our initial announcement here.
