Michaelhouse-Impact Report-2023 (for Jan-Dec 2022)

Energy security: beginning with essential services with bigger steps being taken towards total energy independence

As part of our journey to a sustainable school, we have reinvigorated the Sustainable Steering Committee and created workstream leads across all the areas of sustainability. We have run workshops and developed a new vision and mission: Vision​ Africa’s leading sustainable school with a campus and local community that are energy, food and water secure.​ Mission​ Develop climate leaders rooted in local community and a circular economy. Our primary focus in the short term is to create green energy and significantly reduce our energy reliance on generators and the national grid. The first meaningful step towards long term energy independence came in 2022 with the installation of a 250kWp rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the Indoor Centre roof. This solution allows us to self-power 15% of our demand and reduce the cost of diesel powering the buildings in and around the Indoor Centre. While this solar solution by itself provides energy efficiency it still requires the national grid. The school therefore still relies heavily on generators when the national grid is not available. To step beyond energy efficiency and into the realms of energy independence, the School is making a significant purchase of a 1.25-1.5MWh battery solution. These

batteries will enable the installed solar to be used during load shedding, reducing the generator usage. At lower stages of Loadshedding the school will also be able to “load shave” by charging the batteries over night at low Eskom tariffs and deploy the stored “lower cost” energy during the peak demand tariff period in the morning, charge with solar during the day and deploy the “free solar” energy during the evening peak period. In essence, we are creating a ‘mini grid’ on campus. We will, however, need more solar to optimise the effectiveness of the battery investment. So, we are rolling out a further 250kWp of solar panels on campus that will increase our total solar panel capacity to 500kWp. This hybrid solution - scheduled to come online during 2023 - is a significant energy security capability enhancement and step towards energy independence.

Click or scan to watch Gavin Erasmus talk more about our sustainability plans

The next phase on our journey towards energy independence will be the installation of a large ground mounted solar farm. Approval and sign-off will be subject to funding.

Artist’s impression of a possible future ground-mounted Solar Farm

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