To highlight the Department of Tourism’s Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP), Minister de Lille will tomorrow visit the Houw Hoek hotel in Grabouw, Western Cape where a solar photovoltaic (PV) system have been installed with the Department’s assistance to protect the tourist business from the impact of the electricity crisis.
The development of GTIP was informed by escalating electricity prices, the intensifying pressure on the national energy grid and associated load-shedding conditions, as well as water scarcity and drought conditions which negatively impact the tourism sector.
The programme aims to encourage private sector tourism enterprises to move towards the installation of solutions for the sustainable management and usage of electricity and water resources. The GTIP not only helps to reduce pressure on the national electricity grid and water resources of the country, but also ensure an uninterrupted visitor experience for tourists, reduce operational input cost and facilitate increased competitiveness and operational sustainability in the tourism sector.
The GTIP programme has been running for the past few years and so far, 130 applications for GTIP funding were approved at a total grant value of R76.1million. By December 2022, 41 out of the 130 approvals had either commenced or completed installation while the remaining approved applicants are at various stages of finalising contracts.
The solutions installed or being installed at the 41 approved GTIP applicants is projected to substantially reduce energy consumption and result in electricity cost savings of between 65% and 80% on the electricity bills of these enterprises. Those installing water efficiency systems will typically see a reduction of between 30% and 50% in their water consumption.
The Houw Hoek hotel is one of beneficiaries of the GTIP and Minister de Lille will be visiting the site to inspect the solar PV installation and engage the owners on the success and benefits they have seen as a tourist site since the energy efficiency measures were installed.
The hotel applied for support under GTIP during the 2nd application window. The final approved solution included 464 roof-mounted solar PV modules, inverters and switches at a total project cost of just over R2.2 million. The installed system has an estimated cost saving of R382 289 (53%) on the hotel’s annual electricity bill and will off-set approximately 126 855 ton in CO2 emissions per year.
Details of Minister de Lille’s visit are as follows:
Date: Tuesday 25 April 2023
Time: 10h00 – 11h30
Location: Houw Hotel Hotel, Grabouw, Western Cape
All media are welcome to attend, Transport will be made available for members of the media, departing from Parliament at 8h15am on Tuesday 25 April.
To secure a place in the transport, kindly contact:
Natasha Rockman
Cell: 076 429 2262.
Source: South African Government News Agency