Published on : Monday, March 25, 2019
Built especially for a tropical climate, each of the high-quality 797 PV panels will feed the grid and reduce annual diesel consumption by up to 86,500 litres. This means the resort’s carbon dioxide emissions will drop by around 229 tonnes – the equivalent of 173 trips from London to the Maldives.
The solar panels will generate 854 KW of electricity per day on average – able to power at least 28 villas. The energy can be used to desalinate 171 m3 water, wash and dry 1061 kg laundry, or charge an electric buggy more than 71 times.
Mr Johann Reinhold, General Manager, Dusit Thani Maldives said: “Sustainability is a way of life here at Dusit Thani Maldives, and we are constantly looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and limit our impact on the environment.”
The two main methods of generating electricity from the sun – photovoltaic and thermal conversion has been combined. According to Reinhold, this new system has the potential to achieve larger economic and environmental returns than wind, solar, or geothermal power.
The solar panels were installed by Swimsol Maldives, a global leader in offshore photovoltaics with more than 22 years of experience in the European solar industry.