The Solar Water Heater Programme, which contributed to energy and cost-saving in Joburg, has won City Power the Energy and Water Efficiency Award at Africa Utility Week.
The programme is one of City of Johannesburg’s flagship projects that aims to turn Joburg into a more sustainable and greener city.
Through the programme, which was launched in the 2012/2013 financial year, City Power has installed 43 000 solar heaters, shaving additional pressure off the national grid and the environment.
The solar water heaters help to reduce the use of conventional geysers, which will create an additional load of 2,5 kW per household.
The 43 000 units installed are equivalent to a ‘virtual’ power station of 43MW capacity, producing the equivalent of 22,5GWh of energy a year.
This is enough electricity to run a small town or a small suburban area.
These installations also prevent more than 20 000 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.
The project also formed part of the city council’s drive to promote service delivery and the concept of liveable cities, thus targeting poor and low income households.
Many of the solar water heaters were, as a result, installed in areas and homes that did not previously have water heaters, providing occupants with hot water for the first time.
The programme is in line with the city council’s 2040 Growth and Development Strategy, a plan that outlines the city’s long-term vision and growth-path for the next 30 years. The programme is projected to supply, deliver and install solar geysers in 110 000 houses over a three-year period.
This initiative by the City of Joburg represents 10 percent of the national target of installing one million solar geysers by 2014.
The Africa Utility Week event was attended by leading figures in the energy sector, including utility heads from Tanzania, Zambia, Senegal, Ghana, South Africa, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda and Namibia.
The utility was further acknowledged at the event as its managing director, Sicelo Xulu was short-listed for the coveted African Utility Executive of The Year Award.
This was in recognition of his positive contribution to stabilising the financial position of City Power and the number of households City Power has electrified.
Xulu, who became the utility’s managing director in 2011, said he was gratified by the sterling job conducted daily by City Power employees and its stakeholders.
