Page 62 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES

are provided, and most importantly, how these are done, so that
the majority of people benefit economically and socially from the
transition away from fossil fuels. The principle of such models is
that the quality of life of residents must be significantly improved
and not compromised by the use of alternative technology.

“One of these models is a pilot project called the Saltuba
Cooperative in KwaZakhele township in Nelson Mandela Bay, which
we started in 2016, initially engaging in community mobilisation
in KwaZakhele and recruiting a community participatory research
team who decided on the location of the first pilot,” says Prof
Cherry. “Engaging with communities is a long-term process and in
2019 we finally established the first renewable energy pilot on the
gap tap between Sali Street and Tubali Street.

Professor Janet Cherry

“It includes all the components for sustainable township
CSUR funding for impactful development. It has renewable energy in the form of PV solar
research installed as a freestanding solar array on a gap tap in a public
open space between the houses. Support for this installation came
from the Ezethu Trust, and we are partnering with local renewable
Prof Cherry received R282 960 in Competitive energy businesses Energyworx and Rubicon. We are using the
Support for Unrated Researchers (CSUR) array for generating electricity with the longer-term plan of feeding
funding from the NRF to help support her seven into the municipal grid, which will be income-generating for the
Master’s and five doctoral students. Two of the residents, as they own the array.”
doctoral students are researching aspects of the
KwaZakhele Saltuba Cooperative project, others This will enable working-class townships to become producers,
are looking at food sovereignty in the transition rather than consumers, of electricity. South Africa’s legislation has
township model and the circular economy and changed to accommodate local small-scale producers feeding
technology in KwaZakhele.
into the grid and the project is at the forefront of testing this new
mechanism. “We have support from the municipality’s economic
development department and they have provided us with funding
to expand this model to another two gap taps and an additional 50
households in KwaZakhele,” Prof Cherry explains.

From left: Saltuba erection of PV Solar array. Saltuba Cooperative water capture system

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