Nedbank yesterday officially introduced Africas first wind-powered banking branch operating from a 1 kilowatt wind turbine that runs for between two to four hours.
The branch in Du Noon, Cape Town is expected to use 35 percent less electricity as this pilot site will produce an average of 7.8kilowatt-hours of wind-powered electricity a day from a Kestrel e300i turbine.
The branch is partially wind powered and in the case of failure, a
battery tank will be used for at least two hours before switching to grid power.
Nedbank said this initiative would save 2.7 tons of greenhouse emissions a year.
Eveready Kestrel Wind Turbines technical director James Carpy said although the product had been well tested, fear remained among people about alternative energies, which was the reason the bank might not carry out similar projects as fast as might be expected.
It is not easy to find a site where you can run this kind of project because landlords are fearful of the product and alternative energy sources in general, he said.
The director of environmental sustainability, climate change and biodiversity in the Western Cape, Helen Davies, said Nedbank was brave and creative to initiate a project of this nature.
She said ongoing power shortages were having a negative impact on the economy and people needed to work towards the same goal of improving energy security, economic competitiveness and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
We have a goal of reducing energy usage by 15 percent by 2014 and we want 15 percent of energy to be provided by renewable energies then.
Nedbank Western Cape regional manager Pedro Rhode said it had cost Nedbank less than R200 000 to implement the Du Noon project.
Rhode added that a similar project would be carried out in the Eastern Cape next and the banks emphasis for the project was set on rural areas. - Londiwe Buthelezi
