Soshanguve Plaza Brings 5.14 MW Solar Plant Online

Soshanguve Plaza Shopping Centre has brought a large-scale solar and battery energy storage system fully online, underscoring the accelerating shift by South African retail assets toward self-generated power and long-term energy resilience.

The project comprises a 5.14 MWp rooftop and ground-mounted solar photovoltaic plant paired with a 5.0 MWh battery energy storage system. With installation and commissioning now complete, the system is generating clean electricity for the shopping centre and enabling full daytime operations on solar power alone. Annual generation is estimated at approximately 8.43 GWh, materially reducing reliance on grid supply and exposure to load shedding and tariff volatility.

The solar-plus-storage installation positions Soshanguve Plaza among a growing number of commercial centres adopting hybrid energy systems that combine generation and storage rather than standalone solar. By integrating battery capacity, the project is able to stabilise supply, manage peak demand, and reduce the need for diesel backup generation, a key consideration for retail assets seeking both cost certainty and operational continuity.

The project was executed by Solareff with Cubisol Investments as the asset owner. Imbue Sustainability acted as renewable energy consultant, supporting the project’s technical and delivery framework. The system operates behind the meter, serving the mall directly rather than exporting power to the grid, reflecting the continued dominance of private offtake models in South Africa’s C&I solar market.