Future Fit – R329M Solar Programme Harnesses Clean Energy & Reduces Reliance on the Grid

“This programme is phenomenal! It is a big thing, that a provincial government with limited resources, is able to intervene, to save lives and make sure there is an uninterrupted supply of energy. So that there is reliability - ensuring the care givers will be able to give care to our people” - MEC for Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development, Lebogang Maile

The Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) is pioneering and pacesetting the delivery of Premier, Panyaza Lesufi’s, ?Gauteng Energy Response Plan through the implementation of the first of its kind, ?R329 million investment in the GPG Solar PV and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Programme. This just energy transition programme has already rolled out solar systems at 27 health facilities inclusive of 10 hospitals across Gauteng including; Thelle Mogoerane Regional, Jubilee, South Rand and Kopanong hospitals. Over 12 400 solar panels have been installed? through this programme. Thirteen Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) were appointed, creating?? 237 direct job opportunities, 187 indirect jobs and 50 work opportunities for Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) participants.?

This large scale roll out of Solar PV and Battery storage technology will provide a sustainable energy mix and drastically reduce the impact of loadshedding? through the provision of alternative energy in Gauteng Provincial Government health facilities. Critically, this solution will mitigate against the disruption of critical health care services across Gauteng. Premier, Panyaza Lesufi said, “We are spearheading the GPG Solar PV & BESS Programme, Microgrid and Solar High Masts programmes. This will ensure that all our healthcare facilities remain open during loadshedding. Through this transformative initiative, we have installed Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems at 27 government healthcare facilities. Additionally, we are working to provide a stand-alone solution to meet basic power needs for low-income households within our townships, informal settlements and hostel communities. This is testament to our unwavering dedication of shaping a resilient energy landscape for Gauteng”.

The MEC for Human Settlements and Infrastructure Development, Lebogang Maile said, “The magnitude of this rollout is the equivalent of the installation of six micro-grids solutions installed in less than eight weeks. This programme has already installed a total solar PV generation capacity of 6.5 MW (megawatts) at 27 health care facilities across Gauteng in less than 8 weeks. Over a period of 15 days, we have generated enough energy to power 8?000 households. Similarly, our forecasted cost saving over the next year is R66 million, which is the equivalent of 12.8 GWh (gigawatt hours) energy generation from the programme. This will lessen the demand for electricity on the grid by the equivalent of 11?000 average households annually. The systems installed at our health care facilities are complemented with a battery storage capacity of close to 16,00 MWh (megawatt hours)”.

MEC Maile added, “It is a competency of national and local government to provide energy. However, because of the strategic nature of Gauteng Province, we could not sit on our hands.? As the Gauteng Provincial Government, we had to do something! We are a government which believes in being proactive, a government that is caring, a solution oriented government, so wherever ?there are problems, we work to find solutions. We are happy that we are able to execute this programme within budget, time and quality. This programme is phenomenal! It is a big thing, that a provincial government with limited resources, is able to intervene to save lives and make sure there is an uninterrupted supply of energy. So that there is reliability.? That the care givers will be able to give care to our people”.

According to Patrick Ntuli, Facility Manager of the 820 bed, Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital, where the GPG Solar PV & BESS Programme has been implemented, “This important programme is a great relief to us. We anticipate much needed cost-savings as we are set to reduce the cost of electricity and purchasing diesel for our generators. The energy bill of running this hospital is massive. Significantly, this solar solution stores energy through battery-based systems and will ensure that we have sufficient energy for critical hospital functions such as our theatres to ensure that our? patients lives are not at risk. Additionally, it guarantees that our laboratories and medical wards which require electricity for lighting, medical devices and refrigerators will be always operational. Thelle Mogoerane offers a 24-hour casualty, obstetric, gynaecological, ophthalmology, mortuary, radiography services and? an otolaryngology clinic. The health facility caters for community members from surrounding areas which includes Vosloorus, Spruitview, Thokoza and Eden Park.

According to Jacqueline Ngidi, the Facility Manager at Lilian Ngoyi Community Health Center, “This programme has already made a huge difference. We have suffered a lot because of loadshedding, generator breakdowns and cable theft. During these disruptions patients were not attended to and we had to move them to another facility. However, since the DID has installed the solar system, we do not have a problem – we now have continuity of health care services. Previously, due to energy instability, I was having sleepless nights but now I sleep soundly. The Department of Infrastructure Development did a great job. We worked smoothly together. The DID team kept us informed throughout the installation. Some of our medicines are temperature sensitive and need to be refrigerated. During loadshedding we had a lot of wastage, now we have a reliable energy source and our medicines will not spoil. We were also burning a lot of diesel which had a huge cost, this cost is now drastically reduced. I am grateful that the DID has installed solar at our health care facilities so that our patients can receive the best care.

?In addition, to the GPG Solar PV & BESS Programme, the DID is rolling out the Microgrids and Solar High Mast programmes on behalf of our Client, the Department of Human Settlements, to provide alternative energy solutions in informal settlements and hostels to mitigate service delivery interruptions experienced during loadshedding and facilitate the just energy transition.? According to MEC Maile, “The DID is implementing a range of alternative energy solutions for six hostels including George Goch, Jeppe, Denver, LTA, MBA and Murray and Roberts. These solutions focus on water heating, internal and external common area and food preparation area lighting. The DID and our Client have? conducted social facilitation and environmental impact assessments. Twelve informal settlements located in five municipalities inclusive of Soul City, Siyahlala and Jabulani will benefit from microgrids and solar high masts implemented by the DID. Harnessing energy generated from the sun, microgrids and solar high masts systems captures, stores and distributes clean electricity to entire communities”.

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