South African farmers have built the first floating solar park in Africa

Western Cape farmers have built Africa’s first commercial floating solar park – it now let’s them tackle load shedding and drought. Found on the picturesque farm Marlenique Estate, just outside of Franschhoek, the floating solar park can produce 60 kilowatts of energy. The fruit farm is run by one of the oldest family businesses in South Africa, that stretches back generations. This generation’s owner, Carl van der Merwe, is hellbent on sustainability. He says the farm cannot afford to rely on Eskom to supply power any longer. So they invested in solar power to keep the lights on and run their operations: that’s everything from irrigation pumps to packaging fruit for exports. -------------------------------------------------- Follow Business Insider SA on Twitter: Follow Business Insider SA on Facebook: Follow Business Insider SA on Instagram: Read more on Business Insider SA: ----------------