The solar powered intersections form part of a pilot project undertaken by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and Sunrise Technologies, and the traffic lights at these intersections are powered exclusively by solar energy, without any draw from the region’s power grid.

Carla Rossi, Head of Marketing for Nedbank Capital, says that the initiative builds on Nedbank’s already well established reputation for innovative advertising that benefits the environment and the communities in which the bank operates. "Our investment into these solar powered traffic lights effectively reduces the city’s power requirements and, consequently, its overall carbon footprint," she explains. "We are delighted to support the JRA in their quest to ‘green’ the Sandton CBD, and to be involved in such an innovative project that fits neatly with Nedbank’s mission to reduce global carbon emissions."

In addition to the five 12x3m solar structures, which are situated at the intersections of Grayston and Sandton Drive; Grayston and 5th; Grayston and Linden; Grayston and Katherine; and Rivonia and South, Nedbank Capital has sponsored two rotor lights which contain a battery back-up that kicks in if the power goes out. These rotor lights power the intersections to Nedbank’s head office building (Rivonia and Fredman Drive and Rivonia and Maude Street).

The first phase of the campaign focuses on a show-and-tell type message, communicating what the structure does and the benefits of it.

Mr KA Shabangu, Chairman of Sunrise Technologies, says that each solar powered intersection has the potential to save up to 150kW hours per month, amounting to a saving of 1 800kW hours per year for each intersection – enough to power 6 750 energy saver lightbulbs for 24 hours. "This means that these intersections reduce our city’s dependence on non-renewable resources while ensuring that power failures don’t exacerbate our traffic congestion problems," he says.

"We hope that our involvement in this project will encourage other corporates to participate and become part of the fight against climate change," says Rossi.