Cape Town unveils South Africa’s first ‘green’ taxi rank
The City of Cape Town has unveiled the first ‘green’ transport facility in South Africa that generates its own electricity, enabling it to operate off the electricity grid. Furthermore, all the water used at this facility, besides drinking water, is provided for through rooftop rainwater harvesting and recycling.
The Wallacedene taxi rank is the first public transport facility in the country to be regarded as a ‘green’ building from its very foundation to the rooftop.
‘The City of Cape Town is extremely proud to be 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 in the country, showcasing the City’s commitment to conservation and innovation,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron.
This taxi rank uses a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panel system, arrayed at optimum orientation to the sun, for its electricity generation. It is equipped with 24 large batteries for the storage of reserve solar electricity to be used at night or on cloudy days. From the LED lights under the roof, to the electronic gates at the entrance and the hydro-boils in the kitchen – everything is powered by this PV system.
Source: The Good News