Discovery has launched a renewable energy platform called Discovery Green, which aims to address load-shedding and reduce carbon emissions.
- The platform connects businesses with large-scale renewable energy generation facilities outside urban areas to mitigate the effects of load-shedding and decrease their carbon footprint.
- South Africa, with its reliance on coal-fired power plants, has one of the highest carbon-intensive electricity generation rates globally.
- Discovery CEO Adrian Gore highlights that most companies’ CO² emissions come from electricity consumption, and they have limited options to reduce emissions.
- Onsite generation, such as rooftop solar, has minimal impact on electricity consumption for companies like Discovery, with rooftop solar at their head office reducing consumption by only 3%.
- Discovery Green aims to match companies with virtual wheeling agreements with Eskom, allowing them to access renewable energy and reduce their dependence on coal-generated electricity.
- The initiative offers two products: Green Saver, which covers 70% of a company’s annual energy consumption and provides savings of up to 20% compared to utility prices, and Green Guarantee, which covers 100% of a company’s energy consumption with renewable energy.