The installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system and new power-saving lights will see to it that the iKaya Primary School in Khayamandi, Stellenbosch, will save about R30 000 on its annual electrical bill.
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This is thanks to a collaboration between Stellenbosch University (SU), the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and other partners. The installation will enable the school’s administrative wing to be switched from the Eskom grid during loadshedding.
As reported by News24, the SU Engineering Faculty, the Department of Social Impact and the WCED initiated the project in 2017 to fund the piloting of Internet of Things (IoT) energy management and lighting-efficiency retrofits at 75 no-fee schools in the province. By also installing smart meters to monitor usage and retrofitting schools with energy-saving lighting, the initiative has helped several schools save on electricity costs.
The first school to benefit from the project was Cloetesville Primary School, also known as the Green School. The 7.5kW PV system generates about 14MWh (14 000 units) of electricity per year, which negates nearly 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide and saves R20 000 per year while also selling electricity back to the grid.
Provincial education minister David Maynier says the challenge is to find a scalable solution for the province’s 1 542 public schools to install similar solutions to improve electricity savings and efficiency. ‘iKaya Primary is one of 10 schools that will benefit from improved energy efficiency and reliability as part of the project.
‘The department will fund the remaining seven schools at a cost of R3,5 million, and SU is providing R1 million in funding for the systems at three of the schools. I have put forward a challenge to our partners to find a scalable solution for more of our schools so that teaching and learning can continue in the Western Cape, even when Eskom turns off the lights.’
Professor Thinus Booysen, chair of the IoT in SU’s Engineering Department, says it is a privilege to help make a difference in schools and communities that are struggling financially. ‘We know that not all schools are created equal, and therefore we try to make a difference with this project and where we can, with the help of partners, install PV to help keep the crucial lights on for the schools to function.’
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Jason Samuels, who recently received his PhD under the supervision of Booysen, and his team from the SU spinout company GreenX worked pro-bono for SU on the project for the past two years by conducting extensive energy audits at schools to determine how they can be retrofitted with energy-saving lights and meters.
Their solution incorporates each school’s individual load profile at a low cost. ‘We have been working with schools across the Western Cape for more than two years and we understand the challenges,’ says Samuels.
‘We have also created a solution that works for each school at cost-effective rates. My team and I, with the support from the education department and SU, are ready to take on the challenge of rolling this project out to all the schools in the province. We welcome schools to get [in] contact with us to start their process. We will also look for private partners to support us in this endeavour that will greatly benefit society.’
The university contributed more than R1 million to the project. ‘We do this because we believe in the possibilities of our local schools and because we know our collaboration, support and learning together are fundamental to SU and our town’s possibilities,’ says Dr Leslie van Rooi, SU’s senior director of social impact and transformation. ‘The university is very grateful we can join forces in this way. We are looking forward to taking the partnership with the WCED and other stakeholders further so we can make sure the lives and future of our children are brighter.’
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