Residents in Muizenberg are fed-up and frustrated with constant load shedding, so they are taking matters into their own hands starting with a Muizenberg Electricity Crisis Committee aimed at possible solutions such as community energy cooperatives and microgrids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The committee, which is the brainchild of David Robert Lewis, an anti-apartheid activist and environmentalist, had its first meeting last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Explaining the ideas, Lewis said the proposal is to create a \u201cbig Muizenberg battery\u201d to stabilise the community\u2019s overall energy supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are going to apply our minds to the proposal to create a big Muizenberg battery to stabilise our overall community supply which will be administered via a community energy cooperative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis will allow PVs and even low profile wind turbines to feed into the battery system, it may seem like pie in the sky but it is better than sitting in the dark waiting for the City to solve our problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that they (the committee) would assist the community with purchasing the materials necessary to create a 18 650 home storage battery project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt will be a lot more affordable than a R5 000 to R17 000 UPS system per household.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n