Housing in Southern Africa February 2015

Energy Efficiency, Green Building & IBTs

Smart cities, smart

A smart grid facilitates the efficient, intelligent use of available energy and can achieve significant energy savings. This is of course of tremendous benefit to South Africa which is experiencing

Renewable energy eg. solar andwind, then started to contribute to the grid. This however did not make the grid a smart grid but a gridwith some green energy suppliers. “Today a smart meter is used to provide information and enable customer con- trol and knowledge of energy usage. This

type of data allows the energy con- sumer to know t he amoun t of electricity

a dire energy crisis. There are however certain barriers to implementing a smart grid in the country.

being used, when it is used and by which a p p l i a n c e . The smart grid brings about a whole new in- dustry of technol- ogy, intelligence and efficiencies pre- viously unknown,” says Cronje.

This year, Johannesburg City Power announced the roll out of 55 000 smart meters. It should be noted that the smart meter is only one constituent, albeit a vital con- stituent of the smart grid. “In discussing the barriers to implementing a smart grid, it is important to note that we are not building a smart grid or smart city from the ground up in South Africa,” says Cronje. “We have inherited cities and a grid that we need tomorph into the most sustainable solution.”

A smart grid can be defined as an evolved grid systemwhich has been expanded through the addition of intelligence that manages electricity demand in a sustainable, reliable and economic manner. According to Jaco Cronje, Op- erations Director for EES Africa. “The

smart grid allows the integrationof all types of power generation, including renewables. Smart grids are an inte- gral part of smart cities.” The grid was originally designed for the supply of low-cost abun- dant energy sourced far away from where it was required by consumers.

February 2015