Case Study

The document details a green economy initiative in two Cape Town informal settlements, Freedom Farm and Malawi Camp, where GreenCape and iSolar Ngoku are deploying solar home systems. The project aims to address a 30-year lack of formal electricity while fostering local employment through the training of community members as installers. The model uses a paid-service approach to ensure ownership and funds a community resource pool.

• The project provides solar home systems to over 3,000 residents in Freedom Farm and Malawi Camp, who have lacked formal electricity for 30 years. The systems offer two tiers: a basic offering for lights and small devices, and an upgraded version including a 24-inch LED television.
• The initiative focuses on local economic empowerment by training community members as qualified installers, some of whom are employed by the project. This is intended to combat high unemployment rates in the area, which are approximately 65% in Freedom Farm and 55% in Malawi Camp.
• The solar service is structured as a paid-for model rather than a handout to promote active citizenship and ownership; systems are fully paid for after 24 months. Additionally, a community fund is established from payments for the upgraded offering to support resources like crèches, food gardens, and bursaries.
• The provision of alternative energy enables the introduction of further services, such as community-wide Wi-Fi, which the document states can unlock potential for education and job creation.

APA

GreenCape (2020). Case Study. https://greencape.co.za/assets/GreenCape_Green-shoots-at-grassroots_case-study.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Case Study. 2020. https://greencape.co.za/assets/GreenCape_Green-shoots-at-grassroots_case-study.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Case Study |date=2020 |url=https://greencape.co.za/assets/GreenCape_Green-shoots-at-grassroots_case-study.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2020case, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Case Study}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2020}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/assets/GreenCape_Green-shoots-at-grassroots_case-study.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }