SA faces challenges in energy transition

South Africa is struggling to address the energy security and economic imperatives of the national energy requirements, owing to the delay in implementation of new capacity additions and  the reduced energy availability factor and poor performance of its coal fleet, says Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) senior researcher Aradhna Pandarum. The reduced energy availability factor and poor performance of South Africa’s coal-fired power stations is negatively impacting on the country’s ability to implement the planned coal fleet decommissioning schedule outlined in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan.
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Lithium-ion batteries assisting energy transition

Cape Town-based energy equipment and solutions provider Solar MD is expanding its production capabilities for South Africa to meet the expected demand for renewable-energy solutions, owing to the country’s anticipated energy transition. “Our current manufacturing capacity is 180 MWh/y and we expect to double this capacity over the next six to nine months,” says Solar MD CEO Kaloyan Dimov.
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Solar energy relevant for SA’s energy transition

The pricing of solar modules is continually improving and the technology is expected to be beneficial for South Africa’s energy transition, says solar energy equipment supplier GameChange Solar chief commercial officer Derick Botha. “Solar energy has often been overlooked, primarily because of the high prices of solar modules.”
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Skills needed to foster transition

South Africa’s renewable-energy transition requires skills development and the educating of the country’s renewable-energy sector stakeholders, says Economic Development Solutions (EDS) head of business development Eckart Zollner. “In South Africa, there are concerns around an energy industry that’s been built around coal and crude-oil-fired power stations. Stakeholders must, thus, be educated regarding the reasons for and benefits of this energy transition and the associated opportunities.”
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Council actively involved in energy master plans

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has partnered with the City of Cape Town, and Stellenbosch, to create energy master plans to inform optimal procurement and market design for their municipalities’ specific renewable-energy needs. Energy master plans have been completed for the Garden Route district municipality, in the Western Cape, to inform the future procurement of energy.
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Infrastructure investment needed for transition

Local energy generating sites should be established throughout the country when providing sufficient capacity, says Economic Development Solutions (EDS) head of business development Eckart Zollner, pointing out that this will require substantial infrastructure investment, redesign and development. “We have the opportunity to redesign the electrification network and bring sources of generation much closer to sources of demand and use, because current legacy transmission networks bring about substantial inefficiencies and energy losses across hundreds of thousands of kilometres in our vast country.”
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French companies announce R50bn in new South African investments

French companies have announced R50-billion of new investments in South Africa in different sectors, including energy, health, tourism, mobility, retail, manufacturing and agro-industry, the French Embassy in South Africa said. The announcement was made at the 2022 South African Investment Conference on March 24  and follows the announcement of R20-billion in investment commitments in 2019, a pledge which has already been fully fulfilled.
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Ramaphosa uses investment gathering to highlight reform progress

President Cyril Ramaphosa used the fourth South Africa Investment Conference to reassure investors that steady progress was being made on implementing the economic reforms that are regarded as crucial for raising levels of growth and employment. In his opening address he highlighted the reform progress that had been made in the areas of electricity, digital communications, freight logistics and in opening up the country to skilled professionals to work and do business.
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UK government talks with industry about accelerating nuclear energy projects

Earlier this week UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reaffirmed that nuclear energy would form a major element in Britain’s future energy system, because it was clean, reliable and safe. He did so at a roundtable with nuclear sector companies, which he hosted at his official office and residence, 10 Downing Street. “He set out [his] government’s commitment to supporting the industry to develop a thriving pipeline of future nuclear projects in the UK in a cost-effective way,” stated the UK government press release. “Industry representatives set out the various technologies and projects they are developing, from larger nuclear power plants to small modular reactors, capitalising on both British and international expertise.”
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Africa needs off-grid support to avoid 30m losing access

Off-grid power development in Africa needs support to prevent at least 30-million people from losing electricity access after disruptions related to the global pandemic caused many distributors to struggle to remain operational, according to a new report. Solar technology and other off-grid solutions have brought power to about 60 million people over the last decade, but restrictions designed to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 slowed providers down, causing funding shortages and delays, researchers at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford wrote in a policy brief.
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