Expanded solar capacity for shopping centre
South African contractor Concor is undertaking a solar power expansion project for Liberty Two Degrees at its Eastgate shopping centre in Johannesburg.
The project is set to add an additional 5.74 MW to the existing 1 MW solar power plant at the centre. According to Concor contract manager Martin Muller the second phase of the project will comprise approximately 550 t of structural steel roof constructed on concrete plinths on the upper parking area of the centre.
Concor notes that it has executed similar projects in both the retail and commercial office environment, as well as contributing to wind energy projects in South Africa. The Eastgate solar photovoltaic (PV) project commenced in February 2023 and is scheduled for completion by the end of January 2024.
“We will be constructing concrete columns and steelwork to hold the PV panels on the upper parking level, over an area of 31 000 m2,” says Muller. “The panels will also create shade for shoppers parking on this level.”
The project requires the existing column heads that support the parking deck to be exposed, he explains. This will allow Concor to drill and dowel into the column heads, so that starter bars can be inserted for the stub columns to be poured – ensuring that the loads are spread onto the main columns below. The company adds that special attention is being focused on mitigating any disruption to the shopping centre’s tenants and shoppers.
Concor explains that the concrete stub columns, most of which will be 2 m in height, will be constructed from 30 MPa readymix concrete, which is Green Star rated, using 30% fly ash aimed at reducing the concrete’s embodied energy and enhancing sustainability. The steelwork in the project will include about 600 t of structural steel.
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