City Power deploys solar street lights for sustainable push

Ward 89 councillor Zander Shawe has acknowledged the installation of solar street lights in Fairland, expressing that most residents are pleased with the new lighting initiative. This project, launched by City Power in November last year, aims to address the longstanding issue of inadequate street lighting in the area.

Shawe noted that Fairland is very dark, with streetlights not working anywhere. “I started this campaign to get the streetlights working in Fairland because it is important to the residents. If there is one issue that the residents are driving for a lot in Fairland, it is the streetlights.”

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He has been actively working with City Power to repair existing streetlights, although he mentioned that not all lights on his list have been fixed. “I am escalating it to their streetlights group with reference numbers, and trying to, at least, get one streetlight working at a time,” he said, highlighting the challenges posed by aging infrastructure.

Recently, City Power contacted Shawe to inform him of a small number of solar lights available for installation. “I asked my community where they wanted these lights and collected a list of roads that frequently experience outages.” City Power began installing the solar lights based on this feedback. Shawe stated that the goal of the initiative was to find alternative measures to illuminate the streets, ensuring less maintenance and reduced downtime.

While some residents have expressed concerns about the solar lights, citing issues with shading from trees and insufficient brightness, others are satisfied with the improvements. “It is too early to say whether it is going to be viable or not,” Shawe remarked, noting that some lights are functioning well, while others are not. He plans to compile a report for City Power to assess the effectiveness of the solar lights.

Despite the positive steps taken, Shawe emphasised that the underlying issue remains the aging infrastructure. To address this, he is gathering signatures for a petition urging City Power to upgrade the infrastructure to ensure consistent streetlight functionality.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena confirmed the organisation’s commitment to rolling out solar-powered streetlights as part of a key initiative aimed at improving community safety and addressing electricity supply challenges. “The enhanced solar public lighting is expected to play a vital role in improving safety, reducing crime, and supporting CCTV surveillance.” The project features modern, energy-efficient LED lights powered by solar energy, ensuring consistent illumination, even during loadshedding or unplanned power outages.

He acknowledged the ongoing issue of high levels of streetlight vandalism and theft. To combat these challenges, City Power has implemented more resilient infrastructure, such as concrete streetlight poles in crime-prone areas. “These poles are significantly more durable and resistant to vandalism than traditional metal poles. Additionally, the solar-powered streetlights do not include components frequently targeted by criminals, further enhancing their longevity.”

Mangena said that the rollout of solar-powered streetlights is also part of a broader strategy to reduce dependency on Eskom, and improve energy security. This includes initiatives such as the installation of solar PV systems on government buildings, microgrids in informal settlements, and street lighting across various communities.

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