Last week Eskom once again implemented load shedding across the country leaving many to seek answers from the local authorities about alternative energy.
The Mayor, Conrad Poole, released a statement in which he says that he can assure ratepayers their needs will always take precedence, and the municipality tackles issues such as alternative energy directly by the horns.
“However, we implement our actions cautiously,” Poole said.
“The disruptions, risks and inconveniences caused by the ongoing Eskom load shedding are fully comprehended. However, before we talk about alternative energy it is important to consider all the facts. Alternative energy – solar, wind or gas powered – is not a quick fix for Eskom’s load shedding. A few solar panels here and there will not solve the larger problem, which is Eskom’s malfunctioning. In other words it is not just a matter of switching off the Eskom button and switching on the alternative energy switch.”
South Africa is experiencing an energy crisis of unknown proportions. Eskom is lacking generation capacity of 10 000 megawatts (MW). This is an enormous problem that cannot be solved overnight.
On the question of whether Eskom should be replaced, Poole said replacing it will not solve the problem.
“While Eskom is getting its house in order we are putting solutions in place to supplement Eskom’s power, especially during peak times. These solutions need to be sustainable and provide power every second of the day, all year round – whether the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, or not.
“We are noting that neighbouring municipalities are installing solar panels on municipal buildings and making a range of promises that generate publicity and create the public expectation that these will enable them to become load shedding-resilient or go off the grid. Drakenstein Municipality follows a conservative, low-risk approach. Why? Installing renewable energy facilities is costly, and storing this energy to be available during peak times incurs a further huge cost.”
Poole said decisions around renewable energy are long-term and require thorough and responsible planning. He explains there are various pieces of legislation as well as regulations that govern power purchasing processes, which need to be adapted to make the way for a new energy approach – without allowing loopholes for possible corruption and misappropriation of ratepayers’ money.
Recently, together with three other Western Cape municipalities, Drakenstein was selected to participate in a Provincial Government study group to refine potential solutions to address this challenge.
Says the Mayor: “Before we spend millions of rands of ratepayers’ money and start generating a form of energy that will most likely be too expensive for our residents, a cost-benefit analysis must be completed. This analysis is now in its finalisation phase. If the municipality had embarked on costly projects without being 100% sure that these would alleviate the string of load shedding in the near future, it would come down to poor financial management.”
Drakenstein Municipality has obtained council approval to explore different options that will be viable, sustainable and affordable to supplement Eskom’s power. These options are:. Independent Power Producers (IPPs); . Procuring alternative energy; . Building private generating facilities; and/or . A number of municipalities jointly establishing a process to purchase electricity from a number of IPPs.
Poole said the next step is to go out on tender to solicit proposals from IPPs to generate and supply alternative energy to the municipality.
“We have identified five potential alternative-energy projects (through wind and solar generation) with a total supply of 135 MW, which can become part of the municipality’s alternative energy supply and decrease the disruptive impact of continued load shedding.
“The municipality also applied for grant funding to install solar panels on municipal buildings as an alternative energy supply. Any municipality that is communicating to the public that alternative energy is a magic wand that will take away all the Eskom load shedding pain is misleading its ratepayers.
Drakenstein Municipality will not be guilty of this. We are working with ratepayers’ money and will keep them informed of the progress we make. We can assure everyone that the solution we put on the table will be affordable, reliable and in the best interest of all.”
