DIGITEAL N ECRIT GY
ENERGY
Powering
the city’s future
T
he City of Ekurhuleni is developing an awareness campaign on energy efficiency and undertaking proactive infrastructure maintenance as well as civic education against theft and malicious damage.
LONG-TERM ENERGY PLANS Ekurhuleni plans to add 300 MW of renewable energy sources in order to diversify the city’s energy mix by 2020. This constitutes 10% of current energy
The whole country, until recently, was affected by load-shedding in some way. Gauteng, South Africa’s economic engine, felt the impact, as did Ekurhuleni. This necessitated a deeper dialogue and action plan around exploring sustainable ways of providing and saving energy.
demand. To achieve this, the following long-term programmes have been planned for: • construct a municipal-owned solar farm generating 200 MW to 500 MW in the medium term • solicit proposals from private power producers with the aim of procuring renewable energy • convert all of Ekurhuleni’s street lights to LED technology, saving the city in excess of 10 MW.
ADRESSING THE ENERGY CHALLENGE Ekurhuleni has embarked on projects to alleviate energy poverty, reduce constraints on the national grid as well as reduce carbon footprint. Some of these projects include: • Landfill-gas-toelectricity generation: This process involves the extraction of methane gas from refuse and converting it into power. Currently, the plant at the Simmer and Jack landfill site is in operation. There are plans in place to
duplicate this process in other landfill sites in Ekurhuleni. • Rooftop solar photovoltaic systems: This plan calls for a roll-out of rooftop solar PV plants in modular stages, i.e. 0.5 MW to 2 MW per year. Solar plants will be placed on the roofs of Ekurhuleni buildings across the city. The electricity generated in this manner can be fed into the grid for general consumption or used at its source, i.e. off-grid
options available. • Solar lighting in informal settlements: There are about 119 informal settlements in Ekurhuleni and this plan is aimed at the continued roll-out of solar lighting to households located therein. The initiative seeks to alleviate energy poverty through portable solar units that provide energy for four globes and a cell phone charger. To date, 25 253 units have been installed.
RFPS FROM IPPS In terms of RFPs (requests for proposals), Ekurhuleni is seeking competitive proposals from independent power producers (IPPs) to enter into several power purchase agreements for a period of at least 15 years, at rates competitive to those of Eskom. In terms of the RFPs, Ekurhuleni is interested in cleaner/green energy from a minimum of 5 MW per project. The successful bidder will finance, design, procure, construct, commission, operate and maintain a cleaner/green power plant with a minimum capacity of 5 MW.
COMMUNITY AWARENESS Ekurhuleni conducts at least 40 civic awareness campaigns each year, aimed at both commercial and residential customers. The campaigns deal with topics ranging from the dangers of illegal connections (also their economic destruction of the city grid), the safe use of electricity in the house, energy efficiency, tariffs and choices that are open to the home user, to the disadvantages of choosing to have your meter tampered with, and more. In an effort to intensify these community awareness campaigns, an additional 120 young people were signed up to execute targeted communication within Ekurhuleni. Threats posed by illegal connections are discussed with the political leaders in communities.
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