Soneva, the award-winning sustainable luxury resort operator, is making great strides in its renewable energy efforts, with a focus on solar energy in the Maldives. By 2024, Soneva Fushi in Baa Atoll and Sonevajani in Noonu Atoll aim to generate approximately 50% of their energy needs from solar photovoltaic (PV) sources with the addition of new solar installations. Until now, Soneva Fushi’s PV system supplied approximately 12% of the resort’s energy load.
Soneva was able to expand its solar development based on US$10 million in funding provided by Germany-based Aareal Bank in December 2022. This will bring Soneva Fushi’s solar installations to a total of 2.55MWp (megawatt peak) of power and 2.7MWh (megawatt hours) of battery capacity, while Soneva Jani’s installations will have a total of 2.75MWp of power and 2.0MWh of battery capacity.
A pioneer in sustainability in the luxury hospitality industry since 1995, Soneva is leading the hospitality sector’s transition to a zero-carbon future, aiming to achieve completely carbon-free operations across its resorts in the Maldives.
“Our investment in solar energy demonstrates our commitment to sustainability while positively impacting our bottom line,” said Bruce Bromley, Soneva’s chief financial officer and deputy CEO. “The installation of solar power at such a large scale has significantly reduced our carbon footprint and demonstrated what is possible in the hospitality industry. The invaluable support from Aareal Bank has paved the way for us to integrate our energy system with other renewable technologies, bringing us one step closer to our goal of becoming a fossil fuel-free operation.”
To maximize the potential of solar energy, Soneva is already exploring the possibility of installing floating solar panels in the ocean around its island resorts, in addition to new facilities on land. For example, the new Soneva Secrets 2024 resort, located in the secluded Haa Dhaalu Atoll in the Maldives, has installed floating solar panels that are expected to cover almost 90% of the resort’s energy load. The resort also has an integrated ice storage system for air conditioning, setting a new standard for the further adoption of renewable energy.
Soneva is expanding on existing sustainability strategies such as rainwater collection and load shifting to maximise the use of renewable energy, and is evaluating alternative storage technologies to further enhance energy utilisation, including flow batteries, which have a long lifespan and can store large amounts of energy, and thermal storage to preserve and regulate renewable heat.
“The finance sector has a decisive role to play in transitioning the real estate sector towards a carbon-emissions-free future. At Aareal Bank, we accept this responsibility. It gives us great satisfaction to see our joint efforts coming to fruition and contributing to sustainable development on many fronts,” said Thomas Adaemmer, Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific at Aareal Bank.
