The V&A Waterfront together with LuvSide GmbH, a German manufacturer, unveiled four LS Double Helix 1.0 turbines in the Silo District on Thursday May 23, aiming to show their commitment to sustainability by using wind energy to support the main supply at the precinct.

The team, from left, are the Consulate General of Germany in Cape Town Tanja Werheit; senior manager sustainability at the Waterfront Petro Myburg; CEO of LuvSide GmbH Rolf Hoffmann; CEO of Energy South Africa Rodney Love; Claudia Ardelean of the German Energy Agency and entrepreneur, Rolf Levenhagen.

The small wind turbines were installed as part of a pilot project of the Renewable Energy Solutions (RES) Programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action’s German Energy Solutions Initiative.

The turbines also aim to show how aesthetically pleasing wind turbines can be in urban areas.

German Consul General of Cape Town, Tanja Werheit

German Consul General of Cape Town, Tanja Werheit, said she was happy to see the turbines finally installed. “The turbines look like a piece of art or sculpture and therefore it fits very, very well into the Waterfront.”

She said the pilot project marked a “significant step to a greener future”.

She said in light of the energy crisis in South Africa, the installation of the turbines marks the beginning of decolonisation of energy and is a step closer to using renewable energy as a means of energy security.

Petro Myburg, senior manager for sustainability at the Waterfront, said the installation of the turbines was another step towards becoming the greenest precinct in the country.

There are information codes that the public can scan to find out more about the turbines on its poles.

She said the Waterfront already had a sustainability programme in place, which included water saving; a sea water cooling plant at the Silo District to heat and cool the building with a renewable energy source; recycling; solar plants on 20 building rooftops, and a solar-powered desalination plant.

She said the four wind turbines will run throughout the year and the Waterfront will collect data as part of the pilot project. “This area gets quite windy and we are refining and demonstrating ever improving practices.”

Claudia Ardelean from The German Energy Agency, which is supporting LuvSide GmbH's market entry in South Africa as part of the Renewable Energy Solutions Programme, said the unveiling of the wind turbines signifies a bold step forward in the fight against climate change and reducing carbon footprint.

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Wind turbine pilot project touted as step towards energy solution