he City of Cape Town has taken public transport to the next level with the launch of its first green transport facility.
The Wallacedene taxi rank is the first public transport facility in the country to be regarded as a green building — from its foundation to the rooftop. It is largely self-sufficient in all its energy needs and operates off the electricity grid.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member responsible for transport, Brett Herron, said: “The city is at the forefront of combining intelligent architectural design and technology in our effort to improve service delivery to our residents.
“The Wallacedene taxi rank sets the benchmark for future public transport facilities, showcasing the City’s commitment to conservation and innovation.”
The taxi rank uses a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panel system for its electricity generation. Twenty-four large batteries store reserve solar electricity to use at night or on cloudy days.
Everything is powered by this PV system – the LED lights under the roof, the electronic entrance gates and the hydro-boils in the kitchen.
The taxi rank would be self-sufficient for its basic water needs. This will be achieved by using the taxi rank’s ample roof area to harvest rainwater and recycle up to 70% of the water used at this facility through an underground filtering and reclamation system. This will be pumped to the washing bays.
“We have spent approximately R25 million to build a public transport facility that is safe, secure and decent. The elderly, women, children and people with special needs, will benefit from this new development,” said Herron.
Read the full article here: http://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/cape-town-transport-goes-green
