Port Elizabeth - for years, the only hot water at home Zoleka Mali left a pot in the paraffin heater.
But earlier this year, South Africa Eskom power company installed a solar heater on the ceiling, giving a free and permanent supply of hot as part of a campaign which aims to alleviate the pressure on the network and make solar power more popular.
"I don't know much about the renewable energy or environmental matters", said Mali. What I do know is that the clear benefits of the geyser.
"The geysers use the Sun to heat the water." "My electricity is not affected and I even stopped to use my paraffin stove, since it was dangerous," said the mother of two of Zwide Township in Port Elizabeth.
Eskom offers a free electricity for low-income South African basic allowance, which is large enough to keep the lights on, but not enough to have regular water for bathing or cleaning.
So many use paraffin stoves that are the main cause of fires in the home that can be difficult to contain in crowded neighborhoods.
Mali is one of the 30 000 beneficiaries in Port Elizabeth, where the geysers roof black and silver is been known locally as "flies", by the way they see from a distance, shining in the Sun.
Reduced electricity demand
Eskom objective is to install a million solar water heaters in all country by 2015, with tens of thousands of people are already installed in cities across the country.
The company is offering 110-litre geysers at no charge in the homes of the Township, but the wealthiest families also need larger volumes receive a subsidy to encourage them to switch to solar energy.
Eskom has spent so far R340m in its reimbursement program.
"The common goal Eskom and Government is save energy and promote the use of renewable energy, as well as to provide relief to low-income families," said spokesman of Eskom Hillary Joffe.
The solar project has already reduced the demand for electricity of 22MW said.
That is a small fraction of the energy produced by a coal plant, but about a fifth of the electricity generated by a solar field planned in the arid Northern Cape.
Huge new coal plants are being built to meet the energy needs of South Africa, but international loans for such projects also requires the country to devote more resources to renewable energies.
The country already emits half of Africa greenhouse-gas emissions, most of the power plants work with coal.
The African Development Bank earlier this month approved a loan of US $365 m to help fund Eskom and solar energy projects wind.
The country also wants to be perceived as more respectful of the environment in the run-up to the UN climate talks in November in Durban, which seek to create an agreement for the follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol.
