Powering up MTN’s energy hungry data centres has just received a boost with the unveiling of its first Concentrating Solar Cooling System.

Launched at MTN’s head offince in Johannesburg yesterday, the system was designed by REACH renewables and AOS Consulting Engineers and implemented jointly with Industrial Solar, Voltas Technologies and Luft Technik, and supported by the professional team comprising of ISF Services, Classen Auret, Project Works, DSM and Pentad. It is driven by a cutting edge technology called Linear Fresnel Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) that uses heat generated from the sun and has a peak cooling capacity of 330 kW.

The system consists of 242 solar mirrors covering a total area of 484 m2 which track the sun to generate pressurised hot water at 180 degrees Celsius. The hot water in turn power an absorption chiller that produces chilled water circulated into the data energy centre for cooling IT equipment.

Zunaid Bulbulia, MTN South Africa chief executive officer, say the CSP system cements MTN’s green credentials. MTN was awarded the first Silver Certified building in South Africa under the EBOM technical manual by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in recognition of its sustainability efforts in all the operational efforts and commitment of the MTN head office building.