Cape Town - The Western Cape's
so-called green economy is expected to create 12 00 jobs in the next
three years, Economic Development MEC Alan Winde said on Monday.
He said the sector employed 3 000 people
in 2010 and was projected to employ 12 000 by 2015, 16 000 by 2020,
and 20 000 by 2025.
"The majority of job opportunities
are projected to be created through the manufacturing of components
for the renewable energy sector."
The province and its funded agency,
Green Cape, were in discussions to implement smart energy grids.
"[These] would enable individual
firms and households to install hybrid energy generation systems and
feed excess power into the grid."
Winde said not reducing the province's
carbon footprint would drastically reduce its ability to trade
locally and internationally.
"Economic growth puts strain on
our infrastructure; we need to find innovative and economical ways to
better manage our natural resources, especially our electricity use,
and the way we dispose of our waste."
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