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SANEDI UNDERWAY WITH
LARGE-SCALE HOME COOLING INITIATIVE
S
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unemployed local residents is selected, professionally trained
and certified, and then employed by the project to apply the
specialised coating. “Through awarding these grants, part of
K-CEP’s aim is to demonstrate the benefits of cool roofs and
stimulate demand so that a market can be developed and
eventually self-sustained in these developing countries,” notes
Lundall. This makes South Africa an ideal candidate, as the
country faces the highest unemployment rate out of the ten
countries aiming for the larger 2021 grant.
“While the reflective coatings can make life more
comfortable for people living in rural areas where there is no
access to cooling technology, cool roofing also brings benefits
to urban areas. Substantial energy savings can be achieved in
buildings which make use of mechanical cooling technology
(air conditioners), as the intervention reduces base and peak
demand for cooling energy.”
Added to that, the environmental benefits are clear. “The
whitening of 100m 2 of grey roofing cancels the warming effect
of 10 tons of CO 2 emissions. Globally, this cancels 500 medium
sized coal power stations’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions,”
concludes Lundall. RACA
ANEDI is underway rolling out this low-tech cooling
solution to communities across the country.
The South African National Energy Development Institute
(SANEDI) was awarded a USD100 000 (R1-million) grant by the
international Million Cool Roofs Challenge last year to deploy
solar-reflective roof coatings.
This initiative is driven by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency
Program (K-CEP) with the aim of rapidly scaling up the
deployment of highly solar-reflective ‘cool’ roofs in developing
countries, suffering heat stress and lacking widespread access
to cooling services.
“We were thrilled when we received the grant last year
and couldn’t wait to get underway with rolling out this
initiative. Starting in August, the grant came just in time for
the scorching South African summer, which is felt most in the
Limpopo province reaching an average of 35°C,” says Denise
Lundall, Project officer, Energy Efficiency Cool Surfaces at
SANEDI. “We have found that we can reduce indoor daytime
temperatures in low-cost housing by almost 10°C by applying
the reflective coating.” This can make a substantial difference
to the daily lives of many South Africans.
Deployment has been smooth thus far, with sights set
on the next large Million Cool Roofs Challenge grant to be
awarded in 2021. The next grant, a brilliant sum of USD1
million (R14.9-million), will be awarded to the country-team
that has demonstrated the best sustainable and transferable
model for rapid deployment of cool roofs and best meets the
judging criteria.
“With nine others competing for this grant, we have
our challenge set out for us,” says Lundall. Teams from
Bangladesh, Senegal, Philippines, Niger, Rwanda, Côte
d'Ivoire, Kenya, Indonesia and Mexico are hard at work rolling
out thousands of square meters of cool roofing, while meeting
certain standards and criteria. “Developing countries are a
clear target for the Cool Roofs initiative, as it is not just about
lowering ambient air temperatures but also supporting socio-
economic development in those affected communities.”
For South Africa, the project has been undertaken with local
municipal authorities, to coat no less than 25 000m 2 of roof area.
SANEDI provides energy efficiency awareness training to the
communities for their buy-in. In each community, a group of
For South Africa, the project has been undertaken with local
municipal authorities, to coat no less than 25 000m 2 of roof area.
RACA Journal I April 2020
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