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This case study by GreenCape examines an electric vehicle (EV) pilot project conducted by the City of Cape Town (CCT) between 2020 and 2022. The project compared five BMWi3 EVs with five internal combustion engine (ICE) VW Golf GTI vehicles within the CCT Traffic Services department to evaluate the business case for municipal fleet electrification.

This case study by GreenCape details how ACA Threads, a sewing thread manufacturer in Cape Town, reduced its water consumption by 70% between 2012 and 2017 through automation and process changes.

This case study examines the piloting of electric buses by Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) in Cape Town, South Africa, evaluating their operational performance, cost-effectiveness, and the integration of solar energy for charging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The City of Cape Town is implementing the Faure New Water Scheme (NWS), a large-scale water reuse project designed to produce drinking-quality water from treated wastewater. As part of a broader New Water Programme aiming to add 300 million litres of water per day by 2030, the Faure NWS will utilize a multi-barrier advanced purification process to enhance the city's water resilience and reduce the risk of severe water restrictions.

This industry brief by GreenCape explores investment opportunities for industrial hemp within the textiles value chain in Cape Town and South Africa. It highlights hemp's potential as a sustainable alternative to cotton, the regulatory shifts enabling its commercial cultivation, and the specific strategic advantages of Cape Town as a potential processing hub.

This industry brief by GreenCape explores the potential for industrial hemp in South Africa's construction sector, highlighting hempcrete and hemp insulation as sustainable, carbon-sequestering alternatives to traditional materials. While Cape Town is emerging as a hub—exemplified by the world's tallest hemp-based building—the sector faces barriers including high import costs for hemp hurd, a lack of local standards, and professional risk aversion among engineers and architects.

This industry brief by GreenCape examines financing options for small-scale embedded generation, primarily solar photovoltaic (PV) and lithium-ion battery storage, for commercial, industrial (C&I), and agricultural businesses in South Africa. It analyzes the trade-offs between outright purchase, commercial debt, power purchase agreements (PPAs), and leasing models, while detailing available tax incentives and the impact of the energy crisis on sector growth.

This case study by GreenCape examines the application of a power purchase and rental agreement (PP-RA) model to finance a 250.8 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system for a Pick n Pay retail outlet in Brackenfell, Cape Town. The model allows a solar developer to finance, install, and maintain the system on a property owner's roof in exchange for rental payments, while the tenant purchases the generated electricity via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

This fact sheet describes the Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) South Africa, a UK government-funded technical assistance programme led by NBI and GreenCape. The programme aims to help low-carbon project developers improve their bankability and access finance from national and international investors through coaching, networking, and visibility.

This case study describes the Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA), a global technical assistance programme funded by the UK Government to help promising climate projects become more bankable and attractive to investors.

This case study by GreenCape examines the role of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) in a circular economy, focusing on the business model of The Real Deal 2 Cheap in South Africa. It highlights the challenges of landfill capacity and the economic potential of reselling salvageable, low-value building materials to create jobs and reduce environmental impact.

This guide, developed by GreenCape and funded by the City of Cape Town, establishes minimum and aspirational standards for container-based sanitation (CBS) services. It provides a framework for the design, deployment, servicing, and waste treatment of portable and container toilets, specifically targeting informal settlements where sewer infrastructure is not feasible.

This case study examines Dragonfly, a Cape Town-based start-up that provides AI-driven camera hardware and a data management platform to optimize material recovery facilities (MRFs). By integrating machine learning to analyze real-time waste sorting, the solution aims to increase recovery rates, reduce landfill tailings, and enhance job security for workers in developing economies like South Africa.

The National Pricing Strategy for Water Use Charges provides a framework for pricing raw water use and waste discharge in South Africa. It introduces a hybrid tariff approach combining national and catchment-level charges to ensure cost recovery for water resource management and infrastructure while supporting social equity and environmental sustainability.

The 'Energy needs assessment for farmers – Situational Guideline' by GreenCape provides a structured framework for South African agricultural producers to transition toward energy resilience. It outlines a three-step process: conducting energy audits to identify efficiencies, evaluating alternative energy technologies based on specific farm needs, and navigating the financial and quality assurance requirements for implementation.

This reference guide by GreenCape provides water and wastewater businesses and investors with a framework for entering the South African public water sector. It details the institutional landscape, planned infrastructure spending in metropolitan and Western Cape municipalities, procurement legislation, and platforms for technology trialling.

This technical fact sheet by GreenCape provides guidance for municipal officials, funders, and businesses on conducting energy efficiency (EE) audits and implementing process optimisations at wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) in South Africa to reduce electricity costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

This technical factsheet by GreenCape provides guidance on reducing electricity consumption in pumps and motors within South African municipal wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) through energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) interventions.

This technical factsheet by GreenCape provides energy efficiency (EE) benchmarks and interventions for the primary and tertiary treatment stages of wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) in South Africa. It aims to help municipal officials, funders, and businesses reduce electricity consumption, lower carbon footprints, and improve resilience against power outages.

This technical factsheet outlines energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities in sludge management for South African wastewater treatment works. It highlights that sludge treatment can account for 35% of a plant's energy use and suggests optimizations in sedimentation, dewatering, and stabilization (particularly anaerobic digestion for biogas). It also details various financing mechanisms, such as grants and energy performance contracts, to help municipalities improve regulatory compliance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.