Cape Town introduced the completion of over 1,000 Breaking New Ground (BNG) homes for the N2 Gateway Pilot Project. The project hopes to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and ease the demand for electricity from Eskom, the leading provider of electricity to 95% of South Africans.
The Department of Housing had implemented a pilot project in which a hybrid wind and photovoltaic generator was installed at the site of the new housing development. The generator, donated by Greentechno Africa, is based on Swiss technology and is set to be tried in the Delft community where electricity provision has been a growing challenge.
The generator includes a vertical turbine enabling it to generate ‘green’ electricity at low wind speeds, with the ability to power 15 to 20 two bedroom homes at full capacity. The new development will test the generator by providing lighting for 10 BNG homes. If successful, other sites will begin to implement the new technology.
The N2 Gateway Pilot Project was part of government’s national housing development program, which aimed to construct more than 410,000 BNG houses in previously disadvantaged communities.