The City of Cape Town is making good progress with its R200 million solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Atlantis, having installed around 2 400 solar panels of the total planned 12 850 to power the local grid by the end of this year, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said.
He viewed progress at this first municipal own-build solar plant in South Africa on Thursday 5 June, together with Alderman Xanthea Limberg, Mayco member for Energy and two local ward councillors.
Hill-Lewis said it’s inspiring to see thousands of panels springing up at this first City-owned solar plant in South Africa, which is also benefiting the local economy and community here in Atlantis. “This plant can potentially scale up to 10 MW fed directly into our local grid,” he said, “and we’ll connect the initial 7 MW capacity to a nearby main substation by the end of the year.
“This project is part of the broader change sweeping across our city, as we source alternative energy ultimately meet 35% of total demand by 2030 as we scale-up the energy efficiency initiatives already saving ratepayers R350 m per year, as we make it easier for households to go solar and sell us the excess to get cash for power, as we open our grid to energy traders this year, and as we invest R5 bn on grid upgrades over three years to support this decentralised energy future.”
According to the Mayor the City has various renewable energy and efficiency initiatives under way, including plans for a major 60 MW solar plant at Paardevlei, enough protection for one full stage of Eskom load-shedding, optimising municipal buildings for maximum energy efficiency, already saving R350 m per year, renewable energy to power major wastewater works and water treatment plants, waste-to-energy initiatives turning landfill gas to power, also earning carbon credits, efficient LED street light installations across the network, further upgrades to the City’s Steenbras hydro-plant, already providing up to two stages of load-shedding protection, procuring embedded generation power on the open market, and opening Cape Town’s grid for energy traders to “wheel” power.
Limberg said the Atlantis site will operate as a hybrid plant alongside the City’s first utility-scale battery storage operation, totalling 8 MW, part of broader plans to incorporate energy storage within the City’s network.
She added that the Atlantis project also holds significant benefits for the local economy and job creation, increasing green jobs across various skill levels and igniting the investment in the renewable energy sector, and the green economy sector as a whole. Limberg thanked the residents and broader community of Atlantis, who she said played an integral role in the delivery of goods and services, through local labour opportunities and support, which has kept this project steadily on track for completion later this year.
