Housing in Southern Africa September 2016

Construction Equipment & Transport

Developments going off the grid

G oing ‘green’ is the subject on everyone’s lips globally. In South Africa, renewable energy currently makes up less than five percent of the country’s energy resources. Most of South Africa’s pow- er continues to be provided by coal. However, the Department of Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) com- mits to accelerating the local industry and increasing the production of solar and wind energy. According to global manage- ment consultancy firmMcKinsey and Company’s Brighter Africa Report, sub-Saharan Africa is ‘starved for electricity’ due to an underdeveloped power sector, with electricity short- ages stunting GDP growth potential. What is required, it states, is ‘gov- ernment and investors to develop the continent’s huge electricity capacity’. The report highlights the fact that the African continent has 13% of the world’s population and a staggering now have no access to electricity. The green revolution continues to grow and is attracting the attention and support of major developers nationwide. According to Build Africa Chief Executive Officer, Miles Oates, it is a trend on the rise with developers eager to create a product that stands

out above the others, in an increas- ingly eco-conscious world, whilst still creating additional revenue streams. Build Africa Corporation has sup- plied the Power Up Complete Power Supply to a housing development in the Western Cape, which will allow residents to become almost au- tonomous instead of relying on the national energy supplier, Eskom. The Power Up units were found to reduce electricity bills by up to 75%. Oates says that the systemproduc- es up to three times the daily power output of other deep cycle systems and the Crystal battery banks are known to last up to five times longer.

“We hope that this is a stepping stone to many more eco-friendly, sustainable, developments. The product harvests power from a vari- ety of sources such as solar panels, windmills and generators or the grid. This kind of mass implementation of green, renewable energy is very new in the residential market locally, says Oates. The Power Up units, he says, is a holistic system it can simply reduce your reliance on unreliable providers and drastically reduce energy bills. Oates recently supplied Power Up units at the Lesbos refugee camp for the United Nations tent structures.

BUILDING for good

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