Cape Innovation Earns International Award for Tackling Energy Crisis in SA

Photo Credit: Supplied

The Nordic Development Fund awarded a South African innovation with a high honour and will help support the development of the innovation.

Cape Town, South Africa (26 April 2021) – Plentify is a South African company that has innovated the HotBot in aid of supporting South Africans through the energy crisis. They were recently awarded an international award which will see the development of the innovation go even further.

Plentify recognised that one of the biggest culprits contributing to the energy crisis is the electric geyser in our homes. This appliance wastes nearly half the energy it consumes and mostly draws its power during peak times when the grid is under the most strain.

What they invented to solve this is a clever device called a HotBot. This is a smart device that can be fitted to any household electric geyser in just a matter of minutes. Once installed, HotBot communicates through a phone app and starts to intelligently learn the times of the day when you want hot water.

HotBot then prepares your geyser to deliver hot water when it’s needed, pulling from the power grid outside of peak times to save municipalities – and Eskom – money and energy while still guaranteeing you hot water when you want it.

“It’s a win-win for everyone”, explains Jon Kornik, co-founder and CEO of Plentify. “An added advantage of the HotBot is that it helps to take maximum advantage of solar generation, by diverting excess solar energy to the geyser to heat your water, making solar more affordable for both utilities and homeowners.”

The innovation was submitted to the Nordic Development Fund to become one of their ‘portfolio’ companies. The Proudly South African innovation went up against hundreds from around the world. It was chosen to receive a grant that will help the innovation go even further in South Africa.

The Nordic Development Fund working with EEP Africa will facilitate the funding of this incredible project. EEP Africa contributes to the achievement of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by enhancing clean energy access, development and investment across Southern and East Africa.

EEP Africa financing will enable Plentify to expand its pilot project in Cape Town and demonstrate the environmental impact and economic value of the new technology. Plentify has partnered with the City of Cape Town to demonstrate how this product will impact the environment and combat the energy crisis in South Africa.

The project will deploy HotBots into 500 homes in the City of Cape Town. Every HotBot saves 1 MWh in energy and 1 tonne in CO2e emissions per year. This project brings together private and public partners, including the City of Cape Town and GIZ, to improve energy reliability and efficiency in South Africa. This will accelerate the adoption of renewable energy and reduce the cost of electricity and hot water for households and businesses.