EnerKey

The EnerKey project is a South African – German collaboration under the framework of the “Future Megacities Programme” funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research.

Enlarge image Johannesburg Downtown City Centre (© picture-alliance/dpa) The project is carried out with the objective to “develop and apply an effective implementation concept for a sustainable and effective energy and climate protection structure in order to improve the sustainability in the urban region of Gauteng, South Africa” - an agglomeration with more than 10 million inhabitants.

EnerKey stands for the focus of the project: “Energy as a Key element of sustainable transformation”. The German Government is contributing 40 million Rand to the second phase of the project from 2008-2013.

Recently EnerKey participated in the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban (COP17) and gave a presentation on November 30, 2011 about its integrated technology solutions. The presentation focussed on the benchmark  housing project for the poor, namely the “integrated Energy Environment Empowerment Cost optimized (iEEECoTM)” human settlement programme. The programme is an initiative between South African and German Universities, local authorities, NGO and businesses for service delivery in energy efficiency and climate protection.

Enlarge image Rural water supply (© picture-alliance/dpa) In Gauteng there is a high and urgent demand for basic services such as sanitation, housing, electricity and water service. In order to satisfy these needs and to support sustainable housing a new prototype house – the 50m2  iEEECoTM  unit – was developed. One feature of the house is its 100 percent passive solar design, with residual energy demand being covered with renewable energies. The project was driven and led by the Gauteng community itself

The lessons learned from the iEEECoTM human settlement programme can be used for optimizing further housing projects. Examples include cities in South Africa finding their role in energy and climate change policy, understanding technology as only one part of the story and not the whole solution, recognizing that sustainable and durable solutions can be only achieved by active participation of the people and, finally, achieving integration in a pragmatic way.

The presentation was given by Mr. Lugger Eltrop, Head of Department Systems Analysis and Renewable Energy EnerKey, University of Stuttgart, Mr. Prof. Harold Annegarn, Department of Geography EnerKey, University of Johannesburg and Mr. Douglas Mothusi Guy, representing PEER Africa.

Enlarge image Rural shack (© picture-alliance/dpa) The consortium of key players consists of a total of 20 project partners (9 of them German and 11 from South Africa):

Germany:
University of Stuttgart; Institute für Energiewirtschaft und rationale Energienutzung – IER; TÜV-Rheinland Group, Abt. Energiesysteme (TIE); Institute für Zukunftsstudien und Technologiebewertung gGmbH (IZT); Fraunhofer Institut für Bauphysik, Abt. Wärmetechnik (IBP); City of  Stuttgart, Amt für Umweltschutz; INEP gGmbH – International Institute for Sust. Energy Management, Politics, Risk and social Innovations; Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft; Deutsche Handelskammer Südliches Afrika; GIZ

South Africa:
University of Johannesburg; Municipal Authority of Johannesburg; The Municipality of Tshwane; The Metropolitan Municipality of Ekurhuleni; ESKOM; SANEA SA; University of Cape Town; CSIR; Sustainable Energy Africa – SEA; Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa – SESSA; PEER Africa (Pty.) Ltd.

For more information about the enerkey program

For more information about the Future-megacities program