Construction has begun on Ekurhuleni's first city-bought solar plant — R360 million (about $21.7 million) of panels on a market roof

In Ekurhuleni, South Africa, builders have started work on the first solar plant to come out of the city's new power-buying plan: 25.6 megawatts of panels going up on the rooftops and spare land of the Springs Fresh Produce Market. The R360 million (about $21.7 million) project is paid for by developer BluEnergy, with partner IBS Crafts — the city pays nothing up front, and instead buys the electricity under a 20-year agreement for its municipal network. Once running, the plant should make about 40 gigawatt-hours a year, roughly what 6,000 households use, and the developers estimate it could avoid about 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Building it is creating jobs, and it is the first piece in place from the city's much larger plan to buy 2,400 megawatts of its own power.

SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: infrastructure build