Clarens leads the way as South Africa’s first smart town

Clarens has emerged as South Africa’s inaugural smart town, pioneering the use of “load curtailment” to navigate the challenges posed by load-shedding.

Eskom’s announcement heralds a transformative approach, allowing the town to autonomously manage its electricity load, offering a glimpse into a future where communities actively participate in ensuring uninterrupted power supply.

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CLARENS BECOMES SA’S FIRST SMART TOWN

Eskom, the national power utility, proudly declared Clarens as the nation’s inaugural smart town, equipped with systems to autonomously manage its electricity load on the national grid, according to OFM News.

Clarens, a town in South Africa that heavily depends on tourism, achieved a significant milestone by adopting ‘load curtailment’ to control electricity usage.

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“Load curtailment, reducing electricity during outages, helps Clarens avoid frequent power cuts. Gert Kruger, Clarens group coordinator, explained a meter’s strategic installation.

This meter transmits real-time demand data every 60 seconds, enabling instant adjustments to lower consumption.

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Kruger stressed the initiative’s transformative effect on tourism-dependent Clarens, stating, ‘Avoiding load-shedding is life-changing.’

Recognizing the project’s dependence on voluntary participation, Kruger highlighted robust community support, as everyone benefits from collaborative efforts.”

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According to Eskom, so far, the project is successful with residents being able to sufficiently reduce and manage their load.

This makes the Clarens project a benchmark for similar projects to be rolled out in other areas of the country.

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