Limited space? Try a floating solar farm
FAST FACTS
The Laubscher family farms cucumbers and wine grapes at Alzanne Boerdery near Vredendal in the Western Cape. The region is renowned for its many sunny days.
Nico Laubscher wanted to invest in a solar energy plant, but did not have enough roof space or open land available for the solar panels.
Instead, a project was initiated to install 648 floating solar panels, covering an area of 45m x 50m, on the farm’s dam.
Nico Laubscher and his sons, Nico Jr and Sybrand, farm wine grapes and cucumbers at Alzanne Boerdery near Vredendal on the Cape West Coast. “We’re always searching for ways to improve things on the farm, and we turned our attention to renewable energy in 2020,” says Laubscher.
He adds that farmers are increasingly focusing on reducing their carbon footprint to remain sustainable.
“Vredendal is known for its many sunny days, and we thought solar energy might be a good option to explore in
