ELECTRIC racing (Formula E) will officially hit the Mother City early next year. And if you’re wondering how this will be made possible, the answer is renewable energy.
Chairperson of the Cape Town e-Prix promoter, e-Movement, Iain Banner, said the straightforward answer to working around load-shedding for the duration of the race, is going green.
e-Movement was chosen by Formula E to organise the event.
Banner said that all Formula E teams participating in Cape Town would be charged by green molecules generated from a solar photovoltaic mini-grid.
“The mini-grid is housed in a container and can charge 25 households, which is more than enough power to meet Formula E’s requirements for the race weekend,” he said.
He added: “We must walk the talk of being sustainable at Formula E. The running joke is how we will be able to power cars during load-shedding.”
“The simple answer is by going green.”
The City of Cape Town said that R44 million would be spent on road and infrastructure upgrades for the Greenpoint precinct, in preparation for the Formula E racing event.
President of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jacques Moolman, said the event was great news for Cape Town.
“This applies in terms of international exposure and direct benefits for a range of economic sectors,” he said.
“There will be obvious positive spin-offs for tourism, hospitality, as well as food and beverage stakeholders,” he added.
“The global nature of the Formula E series could create further opportunities for entrepreneurs working in the renewable space, and will surely raise the profile of local expertise in this field.”
Mayco member for economic opportunities and asset management, James Vos, said they were banking on the event attracting visitors and generating more tourism interest.
“They induce local expenditures. For large events like the Formula E, there will certainly be long-term economic impact resulting from expenditure on new, or brought-forward, infrastructure such as transport improvements,” he said.
He added: “I am of the view that the Formula E event fits the City of Cape Town’s objectives of unlocking the potential of renewable energy and mobility transition that will have a massive economic impact.”
According to Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, the city is very excited about the fast-growing global event.
“I hope that in the years ahead, Formula E will grow as big a fan base as Formula One. Hosting it in Cape Town will ensure that millions see our beautiful city around the world,” he said.
He added: “The organisers are putting on an exciting show in the week before the race to showcase the best of e-mobility and renewable energy.”
Just last week, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced that 100 new locally manufactured electric trains had been delivered.
At present, 80% of the rail lines in South Africa are powered by electricity. Different voltages are used for different trains. Other options include steam-generated electricity.
The arrival of the 100 electric trains criticised by the public considering severe stages of load shedding, which can nearly be categorised as blackouts.
PRASA’s office, however, confirmed to the Weekend Argus that they had a standing agreement with Eskom.
“Railways supplies are exempted from load-shedding. The only time that we are affected by a shortage of electricity is in areas where control centres are affected by theft and vandalism in our substations,” they said.
“In cases like this, we end up relying on the municipality’s electricity supply.”
In countries like the Netherlands, electric trains are 100% powered by wind energy.
Spokesperson for Mbalula, Lwazi Khoza, said electric cars were not a concern as only a small portion of society owned and used these vehicles.
“The charging stations for electric vehicles are placed in busy areas that are never off the grid from electricity, so we don’t foresee this being a problem,” she said.