Applications are now open for Project Smart Solar, an eThekwini municipality-backed smart energy pilot delivered in partnership with energy technology company Plentify and supported by international development partners such as bilateral development finance institution Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the EU and the EU delegation to South Africa.

Through the pilot, 280 qualifying households and facilities across eThekwini will be selected to participate in a practical initiative aimed at improving how energy is used, managed and optimised at household and facility level.

For participating households, the pilot aims to help residents get more value from existing solar, battery and geyser systems; support smarter energy use through automated energy management; reduce the need for manual switching, timers and daily energy adjustments; and improve visibility into how energy is used in the home.

For the wider eThekwini community, the pilot aims to explore how connected homes and municipal facilities can reduce pressure on the grid during peak demand periods, support more flexible and resilient local energy management, test the potential for a virtual power plant model in eThekwini and generate insights that may inform future municipal energy resilience initiatives in South Africa.

This project comes at a time when households are under increasing pressure from rising electricity costs, while municipalities continue to look for smarter ways to reduce pressure on the grid and improve energy resilience.

“Project Smart Solar is an important step in exploring how households can become part of a more resilient energy future for eThekwini.

“By supporting smarter energy use at household level, the pilot gives us an opportunity to better understand how demand can be managed in a way that benefits residents, supports the grid and contributes to a cleaner, more efficient energy system,” says eThekwini municipality energy efficiency manager Sindile Buthelezi.

She adds that the selection process will be criteria-based, with qualifying applicants assessed according to the requirements of the pilot.

Project Smart Solar also includes a local skills development component and youth recruited through the eThekwini municipal academy database will be upskilled by Plentify’s professional installation team and employed to support installations where possible.

This workstream is designed to give participating youth practical exposure to smart energy technology, installation processes and on-the-ground project delivery.

“Skills development is an important part of making the energy transition more inclusive. While the training provided is not an accredited programme, it offers hands-on experience and transferable technical skills that can help young people build confidence and explore future opportunities in related sectors such as electrical work, plumbing and energy services,” says Plentify project lead Tumisang Kalagobe.

He notes that working with the eThekwini municipality enables Project Smart Solar to be implemented as a city-level energy resilience initiative, rather than a standalone household technology rollout.

The partnership also supports a more coordinated approach to citizen recruitment, public trust, local implementation and the practical testing of demand response technology in real-world households and municipal facilities.

Applications are open to qualifying households within eThekwini municipality and homes with solar and battery systems are especially encouraged to apply and may qualify if they have an electric geyser, solar PV panels, battery storage, a compatible inverter system and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity.

Households without solar also qualify if they have an electric geyser and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity.

Selected participants will receive the Plentify Home Energy Management system, which includes SolarBot and/or HotBot devices and access to the Plentify Home App, valued at over R7 000, at no cost during the pilot.

Professional installation and ongoing support will also be provided at no cost throughout the pilot. Before smart optimisation begins, participating households will complete a short learning phase, during which the system learns how the home currently uses energy so that optimisation can be tailored to the household’s unique energy-use patterns.

“Project Smart Solar gives us an opportunity to learn from real homes and real energy behaviour.

“By understanding how connected households can work together, we can help shape practical energy solutions that are built around people, support the grid and contribute to a smarter, more resilient energy system for eThekwini and create a model that other municipalities can learn from,” Kalagobe says.

Final selection is subject to eligibility, documentation, technical suitability and approval through the project’s criteria-based selection process.