Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Utilities struggle to supply peak power when demand is greatest. Urbanization and solar make peaks much steeper, worsening reliability and increasing reliance on fossil fuel generation. 

Electric water heaters are a large contributor to this crisis. >50% of the energy they consume is wasted, and drawn during peak times when the grid is under strain and reliance on fossil fuel generation is greatest. For e.g. in SA, 25% of peak demand is attributable to water heaters. 

Plentify adds intelligence to each electric water heater, shifting when they recharge to times when renewable energy is abundant, while ensuring hot water is available when people want it. In this way, we address the problem of peak demand 10x cheaper than other technologies, and enable clean, affordable energy.

Regions of Operations:

Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Most people in African cities receive energy and water services from a central grid. However, these are among the world‚ most expensive and unreliable, and are worsening as rapid urbanization and climate change increasingly strain aging infrastructure. This disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable, especially women-led households who on average earn less with a higher prevalence of energy poverty. 

Our project aims to directly address this problem. One set of our target customers are municipalities or local government authorities. Municipalities purchase electricity from the national utility, and pay more for peak power. By shifting the power consumption of home electric water heaters to cheaper times, municipalities can lower their cost of procuring electricity, freeing up resources to expand free basic electricity programmes. These programmes enable poorer (often women-led) households to climb out of energy poverty. 

Plentify will expand its operations internationally, given the relevance of our technology to other markets. This will increase South Africa‚ economic diversity, away from the traditional mining, manufacturing and agriculture exports, and adding to our technology export quota

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