SA’s first ‘smart town’: Free State ‘dorpie’ gets top honors
South Africa now has its first ‘smart town.’ Can you guess where it is? Here’s a hint: it’s in the Free State. Here’s what we know.
Yes, it’s true. As per Eskom, South Africa now has its first ‘smart town.’ But you’ll never guess which Free State ‘dorpie’ scored the bragging rights.
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FREE STATE TOWN BECOMES FIRST ‘SMART TOWN’ IN SA
The small art town of Clarens in the Free State has officially become the first ‘smart town’ in South Africa. As per Eskom, the town started the process by using a new app-based load management project with the power utility company.
“As Clarens is already gearing up for smart city initiatives with smart metering and electrical vehicle charging stations already installed, as well as a well-diverse spread of small-scale embedded generators (SSEGs), Eskom was eager to help Clarens residents in the evolution from an art town to a smart town,” Eskom said in a statement.
Many municipalities are managing their demand during supply constraints (load curtailment), but Clarens is the first town to pilot the concept of ‘group curtailment.’ This is where a community manages its own electricity usage, BusinessTech reports.
“Group curtailment requires the collaborative efforts of the entire community to reduce load when requested,” Eskom says in a statement.
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MANAGING CURTAILMENT
To monitor the town’s electricity usage, an application notifying customers about curtailment was developed, BusinessTech reports.
Gert Kruger, Clarens’ group coordinator, explains the process:
A meter is installed at the town’s main point of supply. Every 60 seconds, the meter sends real-time statistics of the town’s current demand.
“For a town that depends on tourism, not being subjected to load shedding is life-changing. Although the success depends on the voluntary participation of residents and businesses, we have the community’s support as everyone benefits from cooperating,” Kruger said.
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