Africa Data Centres, a business of the Cassava Technologies group, has broken ground on the construction of a solar farm in the Free State in collaboration with DPA Southern Africa.

This announcement forms a crucial component of the 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed in March 2023 with DPA Southern Africa a joint company of the French utility, EDF. The objective of the Free State farm is to furnish renewable energy to Africa Data Centres sites, commencing with its cutting-edge, carrier-neutral data centre CTP-1 in Cape Town.

The Free Sate was chosen because of the high solar radiation that the region enjoys and good access to the national gird. No access to the national grid from other high solar areas, like the North Cape, is preventing energy to be supplied to the grid. The other obstacle is that not many municipalities are ready for the Wheeling process.

Wheeling is the delivery of energy from a solar farm to an end-user located in another area through the use of an existing distribution or transmission networks. This may also be across multiple different distribution networks, such as through Eskom to a municipality. All customers therefore have energy wheeled to them, whether it’s supplied by Eskom or from a third party IPP.  Cape Town has a wheeling arrangement in place hence the first Africa Data centre to be benefiting from power generated on Free state solar farm.

“This initiative positions Africa Data Centres as a trailblazer in the data centre industry in responding to South Africa’s energy crisis through sustainable technology solutions. This is in line with a broader industry shift towards innovative, eco-friendly practices. The strategic use of solar power showcases technology's role in pioneering solutions for energy challenges and environmental sustainability”, said Cassava Technologies' President and Group CEO, Hardy Pemhiwa.

Tesh Durvasula, CEO of Africa Data Centres, underscores the commitment to powering all data centres with clean, renewable energy sources. "The announcement represents a significant stride in our initiative to energise South African data centres sustainably, advancing our objective of achieving carbon neutrality. The first phase involves constructing the 12 MW solar infrastructure to power our Cape Town data centre, with subsequent phases extending to our Johannesburg data centres.”

Nawfal El Fadil, the CEO of DPA SA, said, "Africa Data Centres, has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability, aligning seamlessly with our company's values. We are ready to contribute to Africa Data Centres’ mission of achieving carbon neutrality, beginning with the establishment of this solar power plant in the Free State. DPA SA, backed by EDF's legacy, brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record in delivering high-quality, sustainable energy solutions to this partnership."

This project is a key element of Africa Data Centres' ambitious plans to emerge as the most sustainable colocation provider on the continent. "Beyond procuring renewable energy, our commitment to an efficiency strategy has earned us the internationally recognised ISO50001 certification for the effective operation of our data centres," Durvasula said.

"Data centres worldwide face scrutiny for their reliance on grid power and renewables, and Africa is no exception. Africa Data Centres is actively addressing this issue by generating renewable energy, alleviating strain on the local grid. Additionally, our sustainability objectives encompass achieving net-zero status at all facilities, making this project another significant stride towards reaching that goal," concludes Durvasula.

The Free Sate solar farm is expected to come online by the end of this year.