The City of Cape Town is considering using devices such as photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines as alternative sources of electricity.
These devices and others, all known as embedded generators, are being considered by the city amid rising electricity costs.
Embedded generation is the production of electricity outside authorised facilities, such as those of Eskom. The devices are not the same as solar water heaters, which heat water but do not generate electricity.
The city’s committee on energy and climate change met on Thursday to discuss the possibility of introducing embedded generation.
Brian Jones, head of the city’s Green Energy project, demonstrated the use of the devices to the committee and explained that PV panels could convert as much as 15 percent of the solar power absorbed by panels into electricity, and could, in a few years, increase output to 45 percent.
“Embedded technology is already being implemented across the world, including here in SA on a small scale, because it can provide substantial savings in the cost of electricity. With constant advancements in technology we could see PV panels not only become better but cheaper as well.”
Jones added that the system could provide relief to residents and business owners, particularly after recent reports on proposed Eskom tariff hikes.
Eskom said current tariffs would not be enough to fund its expansion projects and applied to the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) to raise tariffs by at least 14.6 percent a year over the next five years. Eskom was granted a 25 percent increase in tariffs for three years in 2010.
Using embedded generators, the city is exploring connecting devices to its electricity grid to create a “smart grid”.
The electricity grid acts as a “bank” which stores unused electricity in the form of credits, by the city, for future use or to power neighbouring homes, which do not have embedded generators, Jones said.
Several residents have already approached the city for the establishment of a smart grid, he added.
“In theory, you could power your own home for free. For example, if you produced 1 000kW a month and then use 1 000kW, your balance would be zero and you wouldn’t have to pay anything.”
“In practice, however, Nersa would require that there be some sort of service charge and the city would have to charge as well to cover the maintenance of the grid.”
The city has launched a pilot project for the smart prepayment meter system, using related PV technology, and installed 600 meters in Atlantis, Wynberg, Gordon’s Bay and Macassar.