Just last week the Stellenbosch Municipality announced their investigation into permanently shedding Eskom by looking into the use and generation of alternate electricity energy supplies, now the George Municipality in the Western Cape has announced plans to develop a pilot project where it will investigate the possibility of ‘wheeling electricity’ on its grid.
BusinessTech reported that the municipality aims to develop a more sustainable business model that would allow for the delivery of electricity generated by a private operator at one location to a buyer or off-taker in another location via the municipal network.
“By wheeling electricity through the municipal grid to businesses and individuals, it creates another revenue stream for the municipality, encourages and attracts renewable energy investment, and establishes a business-friendly environment for local businesses and residents,” the municipality had said.
Following a council decision, the municipality said it will now commence with the process of amending its by-laws and policies, and engage with the national energy regulator (Nersa) with regards to the required trading licenses.
“The decision taken by the George municipality would make it amongst the first in South Africa to explore electricity wheeling and energy trading,” said the DA’s Deidré Baartman.
With current predictions that this could be the worst year of load-shedding yet and South African companies investing in Tesla PowerWalls for their employees to stay connected while working from home during the pandemic, it would seem that more investment in alternative energy sources is no longer optional for municipalities
