Supplied by GreenX Energy (www.greenxenergy.com), the green power strategy in the hotel's Vineyard Conference Centre is a key component of the overall plan for more sustainable operations and carbon emission reductions at the hotel.
GreenX Energy will supply Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), which provide the certification of the green power for the hotel. Every MWh of green power produced offsets and saves coal and water and prevents the emission of ash, air pollutants and carbon emissions that would otherwise be produced by South Africa's coal-powered power stations.
The Renewable Energy Certficate (REC) approach is used in Europe and the US and the South African Department of Energy (DOE) is developing this approach for South Africa in association with the current green power suppliers and producers. The RECs provide a certified link between the conference centre and the renewable energy generator. One of the main renewable energy generators, which currently registers and sells the green power certificates through GreenX Energy, is the Umzimkulu Sugar Mill in KwaZulu-Natal. The mill uses “bagasse”, the fibrous waste in the sugar industry, to generate renewable energy.
The commitment to green power by the Vineyard Conference Centre shows leadership and supports national and international policy on renewable energy and climate change mitigation.
Overall, Vineyard Conference Centre customers will be able to declare their event as being run on certified green power and to have reduced the carbon emissions associated with the energy consumption of the event, without having to resort to carbon offsetting.
For more information on the Vineyard Hotel, go to www.vineyard.co.za.
