Embracing Renewable Energy

Melt Loubster, CEO of Fair Cape Dairies, was Premier Alan Winde’s special guest at his 14th Energy digicon today.

More and more companies and businesses are having to turn to alternative energy sources to limit the devastating impact rolling blackouts are having on their bottom line. The Western Cape Government (WCG) remains committed to creating an environment that enables and empowers businesses to operate and, amid the energy crisis, seek solutions to keep their doors open.

In 2018, Fair Cape decided it needed to become as independent of Eskom as possible, a sentiment the WCG firmly shares. Between 2020 and 2021 work on the company’s 1MW solar power farm began. The overall impact of the solar facility amounts to 3.32 GW of power since its inception.

As a knock-on effect there have been massive environmental benefits thanks to the solar farm. Fair Cape’s carbon footprint has been significantly reduced with over 1 million kgs of CO2 cut which is the equivalent of planting more than 38 000 trees.

Mr Loubster spoke of how the company’s investment in renewable energy has freed it to create a competitive business environment which can grow. Fair Cape’s pivot to renewable energy will not end at solar power. “We are currently investigating a biodigester that can deliver power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is an absolute must,” said Mr Loubster.

A biodigester is a system that biologically digests organic material to produce either fertilizer or biogas. Mr Loubster explained the fuel that is created through this process can be used to power the company’s delivery vehicles. The Premier remarked that: “the dependence of businesses on diesel to run their generators has made many businesses less competitive. However, through innovative means like Fair Cape’s exploration into the biogas space you can grow your competitive edge.”

Mr Loubster continued, “I have massive plans. If a solid business environment is created, as the WCG is doing, then anything is possible.”
During the digicon, Premier Winde also welcomed the decision by the National Treasury not to grant Eskom an exemption from the Public Finance Management Act. “Sanity prevails,” he said. The voices of the countless South Africans who stood up for good governance were heard. Eskom is a service that must be well-run to ensure that it delivers electricity to individuals and businesses. Earlier this year the Premier wrote to Minister Enoch Godongwana, on behalf of the provincial government, objecting to the proposal to exempt Eskom from disclosing its irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure in its annual financial statements for 2022/23 and the following two years, citing concerns over how this would been irrational and an affront to efforts to combat rampant corruption at the utility.