The Radisson Hotel Group wants to be net zero or carbon neutral by 2050.

In South Africa, some of its hotels are already contributing to this goal through sustainable energy, water use, and building practices.

Two of its hotels in Cape Town have rooftop solar panels, which generate electricity and heat water at the same time.

The Radisson RED Hotel in Rosebank, with Green Buildings Council of South Africa certification, is said to be 60% more energy efficient than a comparable hotel.

The Radisson Hotel Group, with more than 1,700 hotels worldwide, is on a mission to be net zero or carbon neutral by 2050. In South Africa, where it has 14 properties, the company has already begun to introduce sustainable practices involving energy, water, construction, and food.

Radisson’s move to renewable energy comes amid South Africa’s worsening power crisis, typified by protracted bouts of load shedding as a result of the country’s ageing and poorly maintained coal-powered fleet. In addition to offsetting carbon emissions and reducing demand on the national grid, the hotel group’s rooftop solar panel projects also offer some protection against blackouts.

Rooftop solar at the Park Inn by Radisson in Cape Town’s Foreshore was its first large-scale commercial hybrid photovoltaic and thermal (PVT) project. A total of 30 hybrid solar panels generate both thermal energy, which heats the hotel’s water up to 70°C, and photovoltaic electricity.

This double effect, of saving energy which would usually be used to power geysers and the panels generating power, has massively reduced the hotel’s electricity bill. Around 55,000kWh of energy is being generated each year, the hotel group told Business Insider SA.

Nearby, the Radisson RED Hotel at the V&A Waterfront is also playing a part in the company’s sustainability goals. This hotel was awarded a 5-Star Green Hotel As-Built rating by the Green Buildings Council of South Africa (GBCSA) in 2019.

Courtesy of Business Insider – read full article here.