Green Electricity Certificates may be bought by anyone in good financial standing with the City, including Eskom electricity customers residing within the City’s limits and those not connected to the City’s electricity network or even resident within the City’s metropolitan boundaries. However, the amount of green electricity produced by the Darling Wind Farm (DWF) is limited. Certificates will therefore be sold with preference to bidders requesting the largest quantities of certificates and to bidders who live within the City’s boundaries.
Must I buy Green Electricity Certificates as a once off or can I purchase a fixed amount monthly?
Certificates will not be sold on a monthly basis, but once or twice a year.
How will I know when Green Electricity Certificates are up for sale?
The City will advertise the sale of Green Electricity Certificates in local newspapers. Applications will be considered within the stated time frame. No late applications will be considered.
The quantity of Green Electricity Certificates to be purchased will not be automatically linked with the buyer’s own electricity consumption. The quantity to be purchased would therefore need to be determined by the customer.
Is there a limit to how many Green Electricity Certificates can be purchased?
The City reserves the right to limit the minimum and maximum total amount of green electricity that can be purchased by a single buyer.
Will I experience fewer power cuts if I buy green electricity?
Unfortunately no, because it is not possible to separate ‘green’ electrons from ‘black’ electrons on the electrical network, and the DWF green electricity only comprises about 0.1% of the electricity consumed by the city. If large amounts of green electricity were available, the reliability of the City’s supply could very well improve.
Will I be exempted from loadshedding if I buy green electricity?
Due to electricity network constraints, it is not possible to exclude buyers of green electricity certificates from loadshedding or from experiencing loss of electricity supply for any other reason.
How much do Green Electricity Certificates cost?
The price of Green Electricity Certificates for the 2009/2010 year is 25c for 1 kWh excluding VAT. (This is a separate purchase and a separate charge in addition to the cost of normal electricity purchases). The price will be revised on the first of July each year.
What must I do to buy Green Electricity Certificates?
If you would like to buy a green electricity certificate, you may complete our online application form (residential or commercial). Alternatively, you may submit a printed application form (English/Afrikaans/Xhosa) to:
- Any of the City’s walk-in centres
- Post: The Head
Green Energy
Electricity Services Directorate
P.O. Box 82
Cape Town
8000 - Fax: 021 446 1985
- E-mail: green.electricity@capetown.gov.za
(Only signed documents will be accepted for printed application forms)
To have a printed application form faxed or posted to you, please call the City’s Call Centre on 0860 10 30 89.
It will not be possible to purchase green electricity certificates ‘over the counter’.
How will I be able to pay for Green Electricity Certificates?
Successful bidders will be sent a ‘Request for Payment’ notification. This notification ‘invoice’ will be separate from invoices for municipal services and will bear a unique nine digit account number.
Payment may be made in the same manner as payments for municipal services, which include:
- Cheque
- Cash
- Postal order
- Direct electronic payment (account payment details will be provided with the ‘Request for Payment’ notification)
It is vital that the correct nine digit account number is quoted when making payment as payment will be automatically identified by the City’s computerised billing system.
When will I receive my ‘Green Electricity Purchase Statement’ once I have paid for my certificate?
The date of transfer of the rights to the benefits of the renewable electricity represented by the Green Electricity Certificates will occur when the City issues a tax invoice acknowledging receipt for payment in full for the certificates.
A decorative Green Electricity Purchase Statement will be posted to you shortly after your payment has been received.
May I alter or withdraw my offer to buy Green Electricity Certificates?
Yes, you may alter or withdraw your offer to purchase at any stage. However, once payment for the Green Electricity Certificates has been effected the purchase will be non-refundable. Notification of alteration or withdrawal must be in writing.
What are the terms and conditions of the sale of green electricity?
The terms and conditions of sale of Green Electricity Certificates may be downloaded here, or alternatively, may be found attached to the printed application form.
I sometimes think that the Earth is not going to be here too much longer.