Urban environmental benefits of green energy : a review of landfill gas to electricity technologies in eThekwini, South Africa

Abstract: In the quest to ameliorate the negative developments emanating from a heavy reliance on fossil fuels, there has been a surge in the development, adoption and utilisation of renewable energy technologies all over the world. Adopting a case study and phenomenological research design and applying qualitative approaches, this study focuses on the environmental benefits directly emanating from the development, adoption and application of innovative technologies in renewable energy generation and supply. In particular it assesses the experiences of municipal solid waste-to-energy technologies in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. The results reveal that the innovative projects have resulted not only in improved municipal solid waste management, but more importantly improved urban environmental conservation. The paper concludes by recommending the scaling up of such innovative projects within South Africa and the adoption and application of these best practices to other African countries