Pre-Feasibility Study: Low-Carbon Energy for Cape Town Informal Settlement

SSN was approached to evaluate the feasibility and impact of renewable energy in the formalising of Kosovo informal settlement in the City of Cape Town, home to the poorest people in the metropolitan area. Excited by the opportunity, SSN Consulting raised funding from the UK Prosperity Fund and formed a consortium including Carbon Trust and Planet Capital Energy to undertake a pre-feasibility study to assess the financial viability of incorporating a low-carbon energy solution in the development.

The project team evaluated a number of options based on input from technical experts, interviews with stakeholders and research on market trends and the enabling environment. It became apparent that the municipality’s Small Scale Embedded Generation programme could provide an enabling regulatory framework for incorporating a low-carbon energy solution in the housing development. Based on the findings of the pre-feasibility study, our preferred solution is an institutional structure, likely a Public Private Partnership between the City of Cape Town (CoCT) and the private sector, owning the rooftop solar PV arrays on sectional title apartment blocks that meet the requirements of the SSEG programme. The consortium is now looking to raise funds for the feasibility phase.

If you would like to discuss this project or receive a copy of the pre-feasibility report, please contact John Thorne at john@southsouthnorth.org.