Auto manufacturer gets green energy boost

"It's not about a few people doing big things for the environment, but about all of us doing little bits that collectively contribute to the greening of the nation," said Mercedes-Benz Divisional Manager for Corporate Affairs, Sej Motau, Tuesday.

The Tshwane Metro recently concluded an agreement with Amatola Green Power (AGP) for the purchase of green electricity, which the metro will then in turn sell to Mercedes-Benz and other customers being serviced by the city.

Motau said being a global automotive company, the holding company Daimler AG "is very environmentally aware.

"Internationally our vehicle designers and engineers are constantly seeking to provide sustainable solutions for a variety of environmental issues around road vehicles and their manufacture.

"We are recognised as a leader in research into improved fuel efficiencies, as well as alternative automotive fuels and power sources."

Motau added that in South Africa, Mercedes-Benz has been supporting national and regional environmental conservation projects for over 50 years, and has become trusted partners to numerous initiatives.

Chief Executive Officer of AGP, Len van Wyk said RE is by its very nature more expensive to generate, with customers paying a premium of 30% above the cost of conventionally generated electricity.

More municipalities to go green

Speaking to BuaNews, Van Wyk highlighted that whilst the Tshwane Metro was the first municipality to come on board, that they are in discussions with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, the eThekwini Municipality and the Cape Town city council.

"The City of Tshwane is, however, the most advanced in the green initiative and has greatly supported the Green Power programme," said the CEO.

Limited remaining resources

Van Wyk also highlighted that South Africa only has 300 years of coal resources left - which is used in the generation of convention electricity - and that it "is not a laughing matter".

Subesh Pillay, a Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) said: "We are today excited that we are making the move towards environmentally friendly energy, [and I would like to highlight that] it is not in response to Eskom's problems at the moment, but if we are to leave behind an environment, we have to act responsibly today."

The MMC said the municipality is making the shift from conventional energy to focusing on more sustainable forms of energy.

"We will soon be launching an initiative looking at using solar powered traffic signals, as well as look into alternative energy for street lights that will increase power efficiency," he said.

Pillay concluded by saying the municipality is a signatory of the Cape Town Declaration, also linked to the Kyoto Protocol - which commits the municipality to reduce its use of conventional electricity by 10% by 2014 as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Independent power provider

AGP is a Black Economic Empowerment company which was established four years ago as electricity trading company independent from the national power utility, Eskom.

The technology and energy sources that AGP utilises for the generation of electricity are environmentally friendly, reducing the emission of green houses gases into the atmosphere.

Similarly, AGP said that it endorses all of governments policies aimed at a cleaner environment, as "we did not inherit the environment from our ancestors; we are merely borrowing it from our children."

Article published courtesy of BuaNews