Zero sense to Eskom excuses for solar system registrations

A house with solar panels on its roof in Johannesburg. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen Quietly, without fuss, I have become a green eco-warrior… and I didn’t have to buy an expensive electric vehicle (EV) to do it. But I have managed to make my own car “net zero” – where its net CO2 emissions do not exist.

Even better, it may have a net positive effect on reducing those global warming-causing gases. No, I didn’t do anything drastic to my old family workhorse 2004 Subaru Forester (yes you read that right, it’s 22 years old). Not much you can do to a four-cylinder, petrol 2.5-litre.

It’s coupled with a permanent all-wheel-drive system which helps nudge the system CO2 emissions to about 250g per kilometre. That’s pretty high, I’ll admit – especially when compared with small cars on the market at the moment which generate half that figure. However, please note the model year.

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I have not had to buy another car for myself for the past 22 years. Most Joburgers would be on their fourth or fifth in that same period. So, I’ve already saved the planet the thousands of tons of CO2 which would have been needed to produce those newer cars.

However, that is not the main reason I am an eco-warrior. Inspired by Australian YouTuber and motoring journalist John Cadogan recently, I did a bit of number crunching of my own related to our household’s energy consumption – but, more importantly, to its energy production.

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