Cape Town Residents Eager to Cash in on Excess Solar Power
A total of 432 households in Cape Town have applied to sell their excess solar power to the City in exchange for cash rewards. This initiative comes after the closure of the first window for residential seller applications in March. Cape Town has become the first metro in South Africa to offer this unique opportunity for small-scale generators to earn money from their surplus solar energy.
Under the Cash for Power program, participants have the option to have their municipal bills credited down to zero automatically, with the possibility of earning cash beyond that point. Since June 2023, businesses have been benefiting from this program, and now households are also eligible to earn cash for their solar power contributions.
The City of Cape Town has already paid out over R30.8 million to businesses and households through the Cash for Power program, with a significant portion in municipal bill credits. This includes payments made on the feed-in tariff as well as additional incentives to encourage participation.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis expressed excitement over the growing interest in the program, stating, “Not only are we adding crucial kilowatts to our grid, we are also putting money back in the pockets of Capetonians.” The City is committed to purchasing as much solar power as households and businesses can supply, further incentivizing residents to participate in the program.
For those interested in earning cash for their excess solar power, applications will be assessed in the upcoming window, with dates to be announced soon. The City encourages residents to take advantage of this opportunity to not only offset their electricity bills but also earn additional income through their solar energy contributions.