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Hyprop Investments has invested R45m in a solar-PV expansion at The Glen Shopping Centre in Johannesburg as the real estate investment trust looks to deepen its energy self-suffiency amid rising electricity costs and strengthen operational resilience.Phase one, a 1MW AC rooftop solar PV system at the centre, was completed in 2020. Phase 2 has now been completed and commissioned, lifting total installed capacity to 4,304 kWp and further reducing reliance on the municipal grid.“The system is expected to generate more than 5 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, meeting over 40% of the centre’s demand and delivering savings of more than R12m a year,” the group said on Thursday.The installation, mounted on carport structures across the centre, takes installed capacity at Hyprop’s South African portfolio to 21,975 kWp, supplying about 17% of its total energy requirements.The group has four additional solar projects in South Africa and two in Croatia, while feasibility studies into battery energy storage systems are also in progress.“We are committed to delivering sustainable value across our portfolios,” said Hyprop head of projects and sustainability Steven Riley. Hyprop also stepped up its offshore expansion last month, strengthening its Eastern European footprint with the acquisition of Galleria Burgas in Bulgaria for about €122.2m (about R2.3bn), as it continues to target higher-growth markets across Eastern Europe and the Western Cape.The group already owns four retail centres in Eastern Europe, all located in capital cities: The Mall in Sofia, Bulgaria; Skopje City Mall in Skopje, North Macedonia; and City Center one East and City Center one West in Zagreb, Croatia.
