There’s an early Christmas present for shoppers at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront: no load-shedding.
It’s not a present from Eskom, however; it’s thanks to 48 generators the V&A has imported to bolster the expected bumper holiday season as tourists return to Cape Town.
The V&A on Wednesday detailed its battle plan to defeat rolling blackouts, with generators the main weapon their arsenal.
The plan is to also supplement generator power with 2MW of solar power on the roof, with a plan to double this amount within the next two years.
The precinct has already reduced its grid energy consumption by 47% and invested R40m in energy efficiency projects. There will also be wind turbines, both big and small, as part of a renewable energy pilot project.
Retail sales at the V&A have rebounded sharply surging to a 20% increase in September 2022 after being down 21% this same period last year. We foresee the trend continuing to escalate into the bumper festive season
— V&A CEO David Green
“We take the view that load-shedding is a long-term future,” said V&A CEO David Green at a media lunch on Wednesday.
The V&A hoped to have a 0% carbon footprint by 2035, Green said.
The fleet of generators would be connected to a smart system, allowing for a seamless supply of power even when much of the city is hit by scheduled load-shedding. Generator fuel would come from numerous fuel tanks, with generator power phased in before load-shedding to ensure no temporary glitch.
Green said batteries would help smooth the process, with battery capacity expected to increase over time.
“My vision is that lots of car park space will turn into battery space,” he said, adding that the rapid growth of e-hailing was expected to reduce traffic congestion.
More good news is that the V&A expects a bumper holiday season after two grim “Covid years”.
Green said retail statistics showed a significant increase compared to last year.
“Using the last ‘normal’ year, April 2019-March 2020 as a base, retail sales at the V&A have rebounded sharply, surging to a 20% increase in September 2022 after being down 21% this same period last year.
“We foresee the trend continuing to escalate into the bumper festive season.”
The V&A lost 10 of its 80 restaurants through Covid, but is nearly back up to pre-Covid occupancy.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.