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353 documents from GreenCape
Cape Town’s Green Sectors
The document presents data on Cape Town's green energy sector, identifying 184 energy companies across various specializations and sizes, contributing R14.7B in annual revenue and employing 11,368 people.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Entering the public water sector market
The document outlines the opportunities and regulatory requirements for private sector engagement in South Africa's water sector. It highlights a significant infrastructure investment gap, with an estimated R900 billion needed over the next decade. Key opportunities are identified in metropolitan municipalities, where R54.6 billion is planned for water and sanitation spend between 2023/24 and 2025/26. The guide details the roles of national and local government, the impact of new legislation like the Public Procurement Act (2024) and the NWRIA Act (2024), and the specific procurement thresholds and B-BBEE scoring systems used in public tenders. It also lists innovation platforms and trial mechanisms for new technologies.
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Document type: Guide
Case Study 001 Event-ual Landfill Diversion
The World Economic Forum (WEF) partnered with the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) to manage tear-down waste from a 2015 event at the Cape Town International Conference Centre. By identifying resource types and volumes two months in advance, WISP connected the WEF with solution providers to repurpose pine wood, carpeting, promotional materials, and PVC banners. This initiative diverted 11.8 tonnes of waste from landfills, saved 10 tonnes of fossil greenhouse gas emissions, and generated approximately R242,000 in total economic benefits.
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Document type: Case study
Energy storage systems
The document outlines the role of energy storage systems in improving the resilience and sustainability of South African municipal wastewater treatment works. It focuses on lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries due to their market dominance and a 90% cost reduction since 2010. While energy storage does not reduce overall energy consumption, it provides backup power and enables higher renewable energy penetration. The factsheet compares three financial scenarios: stand-alone storage, storage replacing diesel generation, and storage paired with solar PV, noting that the latter two offer better payback periods and internal rates of return. It also details various financing mechanisms available to municipalities, such as grants, concessional loans, and energy performance contracts.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Technical fact sheet for energy management and optimisation of wastewater treatment works
The document outlines a framework for energy management in South African wastewater treatment works (WWTWs), emphasizing the role of level 1 energy audits to identify high-demand areas. It details specific optimisation strategies for aeration, pumping, and sludge management, noting that these interventions can yield energy savings up to 75%. Additionally, it provides a menu of financing mechanisms, including grants and energy performance contracts, to support the adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Technical factsheet for pumps and motors
The document outlines energy efficiency (EE) strategies for pumps and motors in South African wastewater treatment works, noting that pumping can account for 4% to 30% of a facility's energy use. It categorizes interventions by payback period and energy savings potential, ranging from no-cost operational adjustments to capital-intensive retrofitting. Potential energy savings from these combined interventions can exceed 50%. The factsheet also details various financing options, including municipal budgets, grants, concessional loans, and energy performance contracts, to support the deployment of these technologies.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Technical factsheet for energy efficiency in primary and tertiary treatment technologies
The document outlines specific power consumption (SPC) benchmarks for primary and tertiary wastewater treatment technologies in South Africa. It identifies that while these stages are not energy intensive, efficiency can be improved through peak demand management, equipment idling, and UV disinfection upgrades, with potential energy savings of up to 50% for UV systems.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Technical factsheet for sludge management
The document outlines how municipal wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) in South Africa can reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints through optimized sludge management. It details specific technical interventions in primary sedimentation, dewatering, thickening, and stabilisation, while providing a business case for biogas production and a framework of financing mechanisms for implementing these energy efficiency projects.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Technical factsheet for solar photovoltaic (PV) technology
The document outlines how solar PV technology can be integrated into South African municipal wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) to lower energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. It details various installation configurations, such as ground-mounted, floating, and rooftop systems, and provides financial metrics including a payback period of 4 to 8 years. The factsheet also lists potential financing mechanisms and a step-by-step implementation process for municipal officials and private developers.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies for wastewater treatment works in South Africa
The document outlines how mini-hydro and wind energy can be integrated into South African municipal wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) to lower energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. Mini-hydro is presented as highly compatible with WWTW infrastructure, utilizing water flow and elevation drops to generate electricity, with a typical payback period of 5 to 10 years. Small-scale wind is described as a supplementary option to offset grid use, though it is less common due to cost and the need for multi-year wind studies. The factsheet also provides a framework for financing these projects through municipal budgets, grants, concessional loans, and energy performance contracts.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Technical factsheet for thermal beneficiation and treatment of wastewater sludge
The document advocates for the use of thermal hydrolysis as a pre-treatment for anaerobic digestion in wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) to increase biogas production and reduce sludge mass. It highlights that South African municipalities spend over R300 million annually on sludge disposal and suggests that thermal hydrolysis can improve digester efficiency, reduce carbon footprints, and provide a payback period of 2-5 years. The factsheet also outlines various financing mechanisms, such as municipal budgets, grants, and energy performance contracts, to support the adoption of these energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Goals Regulation International Trade Farm to Fork Strategy
The EU's Farm to Fork Strategy aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050 by transforming food manufacturing, processing, and transportation. Key targets for 2030 include reducing chemical pesticide use and risk by 50%, cutting nutrient losses by at least 50%, reducing fertiliser use by at least 20%, and increasing organic farming to 25% of EU agricultural land. The strategy will influence trade policy to secure commitments from third countries on animal welfare and pesticide use. For SADC EPA countries, which exported approximately USD 2.5 billion to the EU in 2020, these changes present both cost implications and opportunities driven by shifting consumer preferences. South Africa is the most affected SADC EPA state, accounting for 76% of these exports, with edible fruits (51%) and fisheries (26%) being the top export sectors.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) CASE STUDY
The document presents Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) as a method to maximize food yield using indoor facilities and climate-regulated systems. It identifies key drivers for CEA adoption in South Africa, including severe water scarcity, soil loss, and high rates of urbanization. The study highlights benefits such as year-round production, reduced food mileage through vertical farming, and improved pest control. To scale the industry, the document argues for increased access to affordable financing and dedicated resources for research, development, and skills training.
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Document type: Case study
Non-sewered sanitation systems CASE STUDY
The document defines non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSS) as reticulation-free systems where human excreta are stored on-site for treatment or disposal. It highlights the economic return of water and sanitation investments, noting a USD 2.5 - 5 return in reduced healthcare costs for every dollar spent. In South Africa, NSSS are presented as solutions to water scarcity, aging infrastructure, and rapid urbanization, with a potential R4.7bn investment opportunity in metropolitan projects and a R3.4bn government allocation for school sanitation over two years. Globally, the document projects that water infrastructure costs will rise from USD 6.7 trillion by 2030 to USD 22.6 trillion by 2050, with Sub-Saharan Africa leading in annual costs to achieve basic and safe sanitation.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Wastewater treatment and reuse/reclamation CASE STUDY
The document advocates for decentralized wastewater treatment in South Africa to address infrastructure deterioration and high costs associated with centralized systems. It identifies key benefits such as non-potable water reuse and sludge beneficiation for energy and fertilizer, while noting a R33bn annual funding shortfall in the water and sanitation sector. Regulatory drivers include a national target to divert 75% of organic waste from landfills by 2030 and a liquid waste to landfill ban by 2027.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Smart Farming – Precision Agriculture CASE STUDY
The document outlines how smart farming (agtech and analytics) can increase agricultural yields and efficiency in South Africa, while identifying critical barriers such as energy insecurity, high data costs, and a significant digital divide where only 9% of subsistence farmers have internet access.
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Document type: Fact sheet
INDUSTRY BRIEF Unlocking value from waste foundry sand
The document outlines the potential for industrial symbiosis by using waste foundry sand (WFS) as a secondary material in sectors like brickmaking and road construction. It highlights the economic benefits for foundries and off-takers, the regulatory hurdles involving waste classification and management licenses, and the technical requirements for processing WFS to ensure product quality.
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Document type: Briefing
GOF PHASE II Proposal
The GOF Phase II proposal seeks to raise USD 3-5 million in grant funding to leverage USD 15-20 million in private capital for green SMMEs in South Africa. Building on Phase I, which created 946 green jobs and achieved a 5x catalysation multiplier, the fund aims to de-risk investments in innovative green sectors to drive job creation. GreenCape serves as the fund manager, with design support from the Anglo American Foundation and evaluation from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.
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Document type: Briefing
Maximising the value of battery energy storage systems in the Western Cape by leveraging time-of-use tariffs
The document assesses the potential for Western Cape businesses to leverage time-of-use (TOU) tariffs through BESS arbitrage, comparing the repurposing of existing systems against new installations. It finds that while upgrading existing BESS offers high internal rates of return (IRR), new installations are more sensitive to tariff escalation rates and investment horizons, with a 15-year outlook generally improving financial performance.
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Document type: Briefing
Solar PV for businesses in the Western Cape
The document provides a guide for Western Cape businesses on adopting solar PV to reduce energy costs and carbon footprints. It details various financing models—including outright purchase, debt finance, and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)—and provides pricing benchmarks for 2025/26. The brief highlights the role of municipal feed-in tariffs and national tax incentives, while warning of risks related to changing utility tariff structures and policy shifts.
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Document type: Briefing