Solar energy saves city business millions

A city-based company is set to save in the region of half a million rand due to the installation of energy efficient systems at its premises.

Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities, yesterday (1 February 2017), visited the Lansdowne Bottling Company as part of the Western Cape Government’s energy efficiency awareness campaign.

The campaign’s message is “Solar. The best way to save under the Sun.” It focuses on raising awareness about the benefits of installing solar water heaters and solar PV panels, as a cost saving measure and in line with creating a greener world.

The company, which is run by the Patel family, installed a PhotoVoltaic (PV) system which generates energy from solar panels on the roof.

Minister Winde said since installation, the company has saved R92 600.

“The owner of Lansdowne Bottling Company told me that his decision to invest in energy efficient infrastructure is already paying off. While their annual energy bill would have amounted to R2.3 million this year, they are expecting it to come out at R1.7 million, due to savings as a result of their PV system. They are able to invest these savings into projects to grow their business. This illustrates the significant benefits for businesses of switching to green forms of energy. I am happy to report that many companies in the province have already heeded the call.”

Dirshan Patel, the owner of Lansdowne Bottling Company, said: “We have already made some savings which we will look at reinvesting into our business, but our ultimate goal is to see a long term saving as well as contributing to our environment in a positive way. Going green has always been in our vision and I am happy that we have completed phase 1.”

They are working towards feeding electricity back into the City of Cape Town’s grid, and they will receive a feed-in tariff for this.

The energy efficiency awareness campaign forms part of the Energy Security game-changer, a joint initiative of the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town and the five largest local municipalities, namely Stellenbosch, George, Drakenstein, Saldanha Bay and Mossel Bay.

The following are the key outcomes of the game-changer:

• Enhanced uptake of rooftop PhotoVoltaic (PV): increase the installed capacity of rooftop PV to Western Cape electricity supply to 135 MW (equivalent to the capacity of 4 x Western Cape based wind farms) by 2020;
• Enhanced uptake of efficient water heating (EWH), including Solar Water Heaters (SWH): increase the installed SWH or heat pump units to 155,000 by 2020;
• Reduced energy consumption in both public and private buildings: 30% reduction in energy consumption in provincial government buildings by 2020;
• Enhanced load management: optimally manage the electricity grid in order to reduce peak demand and minimise the likelihood and impact of load shedding;
• More electricity generated through wind, solar and natural gas: Increased diversity of electricity supply through Independent Power Producers (IPPs) by 2020.

Minister Winde said: “The goal of the Energy Security Game Changer is to ensure long-term energy security through the availability of reliable, diverse and low carbon energy to support economic and social growth in the Western Cape. Through this campaign, we are seeking to showcase the contribution of business owners in this province who are leading the way in operating sustainability. They serve as inspiration to the private sector. We hope more business owners will recognise the benefits and investigate their options.”

The campaign programme for the month includes:

• Media visit to Bayside Mall, 16 February 2017
• Media visit ACA, a local textile company, 21 February 2017
• Digital and social media campaign
• Newspaper, magazine and radio advertising
• Billboard and My CiTi bus advertising

Visit www.switchandsave.co.za for more details on Solar Water Heaters and Solar PV.