Western Cape electrical power companies are about to get relief from the launching of the country’s first ever solar water geyser project. Buyelwa Sonjica, Minerals and Energy Minister, spoke at the Riverdale launch stating, “The use of solar energy, which is a renewable energy source, will assist us in reducing the load of pressure on the national electricity grid.”
KwaNokuthula, Riverdale, will get the first 60 of 240 Eskom-accredited solar geysers, with Nyang, Essies Rivier, and Atlantis communities close behind. Up to 1,000 solar geysers are projected for installation by the Western Cape government with an estimated electrical savings of 500 megawatts (MW) per day. Sonjica adds that this project is not just to ease the current energy crisis, but paves the way for sustainable, long-term investment for South Africa.
MEC for Environmental Affairs and Economic Development, Tasneem Essop, aims to tackle three emergency issues faced by Western Cape; climate change, poverty, and energy savings. “The launch of this solar water geyser legacy project is an attempt by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape to bring renewable energy into our poorer areas,” Essop told Engineering News. She also added, “We have conducted research on climate change and we know that the parts of our community that will be hardest hit by climate change are the poor.”
Eskom has compiled a list of suppliers who will offer discounts on solar water heating solutions with hopes of moving customers towards renewable sources of energy.