ENERGYDRIVE ARRIVES IN THE EASTERN CAPE TO TEACH LEARNERS ABOUT RENEWABLE POWER

ENERGYDRIVE ARRIVES IN THE EASTERN CAPE TO TEACH LEARNERS ABOUT RENEWABLE POWER

6 September 2021, Eastern Cape

The custom-built EnergyDRIVE truck has kicked-off its 2021 tour of the country, having arrived in the Eastern Cape last week, from Durban University of Technology (DUT).  The much-loved yellow edu-tainer is visiting schools and local wind farms in the region to engage with hundreds of high school learners, across eight different communities, to teach them about the benefits of renewable energy technologies.

Learners from Joe Slovo Freedom High School visited Dorper Wind Farm, which is located between the Molteno and Sterkstroom communities, in the Eastern Cape, as the first cohort to experience the magnitude of wind power production first-hand, as part of this year’s EnergyDRIVE programme.

The Eastern Cape is home to a large number of wind farms, making it an ideal first destination on the EnergyDRIVE’s route and the mobility of this custom-built vehicle makes it ideal to reach high schools situated within wind farm beneficiary communities. These communities are often located in areas that are not easily accessible and learners do not readily have access to information about these technologies.

“The container features attractive interactive demonstration models, which assist with understanding a range of renewable technologies, raises awareness of renewable power resources as well as addressing the important issues associated with climate change, bringing home the impact of environmental concerns that plague our country and the rest of the world,” explained Tshepo Kgoloane, Community Operations Manager from Cookhouse Wind Farm, another wind farm in this Province, to participate. 

Featuring a solar roof structure, biogas digester, photovoltaic panel display unit as well as a solar hot water display unit, the EnergyDRIVE teaches learners about the benefits and uses of renewable energy technologies.

The 2021 EnergyDRIVE kicked off its trip, leaving its base at the DUT on 1 September2021, and will wrap up its journey three weeks later, having reached many hundreds of learners across the country’s green energy map.  This is the third time that the edu-tainer has made this journey, since its inaugural 2017 trip.  It has already reached almost 3 000 learners, in Grade 9 to 12 and is a result of a partnership between the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) and the DUT, who consider high school learners to be the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow.