Growthpoint Properties became the first party to wheel renewable electricity in the City, in collaboration with licensed electricity trader Etana Energy.
The City’s six-month pilot project includes 15 wheeling participants representing 25 generators and 40 customers. The pilot will lay the groundwork for future wheeling in Cape Town and enable businesses to use energy from rooftop solar panels across multiple locations, encouraging them to optimize solar capacity instead of limiting it to individual building use.
Estienne de Klerk, SA CEO of Growthpoint Properties, said: “This project brings Growthpoint closer to our climate commitment of being carbon neutral by 2050 and is the starting point to providing clean green energy to our tenants in Cape Town to further their environmental commitments.” Cape Town’s “end load-shedding” plans include wheeling electricity, partnering with independent power producers, paying households and businesses “Cash for Power” generated by solar PV, the “Power Heroes” incentive scheme for households to reduce energy demand, solar PV farms, and further optimizing of the Steenbras Hydropower plant.