The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has announced that the official patron for the 2024 iteration of its flagship conference, Windaba, will be Energy and Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. This will be the second year in a row that he will attend Windaba. Windaba 2024, which also has the support of the Global Wind Energy Council, will run from October 1 to October 3. It will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, and will bring together wind energy professionals, academics, civil society representatives, government representatives (and particularly, policymakers).
Engie, the French utility that led a $1-billion buyout of a rival’s renewable energy assets in Africa last year, expects more deals to be seen in the industry across the continent. While focusing on integrating the assets it bought from Actis rather than seeking more acquisitions, Engie is looking to develop a pipeline of seven gigawatts of projects, said Mohamed Hoosen, the company’s managing director for Asia, Middle East and Africa. It may also invest in transmission projects in South Africa, once those are opened up for private participation, he said.
Germany is willing to help fund the R390-billion ($22-billion) that South Africa said it needs to incorporate more solar and wind power into the national grid and ensure its energy security. The European nation will be able to provide some funding once the scope for the grid-expansion project has been determined, according to its special envoy for a climate-finance pact between South Africa and some of the world’s richest countries. The deal, which was agreed in 2021 and is now worth $9.3-billion, has been criticized for its slow implementation.
As part of its ambition to achieve Landlord Scope 1 and 2 Net-Zero Carbon by 2030 as well as implement sustainable practices, property investment company Liberty Two Degrees (L2D) has successfully implemented portfolio-wide energy management improvements, says sustainability lead specialist Brian Unsted. With this in mind, the company boasts total installed solar capacity of 13 MW across its portfolio, compared to 3 MW in 2022. The company also met its 2023 target of sourcing 3% of its portfolio’s energy baseload from renewable-energy sources, achieved through implementing onsite solar energy production.
The competitive landscape for utility-scale renewable energy has significantly changed over the past decade, with developers driving more aggressive funding terms to remain competitive, says financial institution Standard Bank power head Rentia van Tonder. The shift in the competitive landscape has resulted in more investors and developers competing for projects. Therefore, financing solutions need to be innovative, consequently forcing financiers to consider different risk allocations as the market matures and be more adaptable to change, she explains.
Solar power integration, through PV, concentrated solar power (CSP) technology in specific applications, and hybrid solutions including battery energy storage systems (BESS), is crucial in South Africa’s energy mix as global energy demands continue to rise, says independent power producer (IPP) ENGIE South Africa engineering head Seshni Naidoo. She emphasises that solar energy is crucial in ensuring a sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply for South Africa while complementing other renewable and conventional energy sources.
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), set to come into effect in 2026, is poised to drive companies exporting to the EU to rethink their energy strategies and adopt renewable-energy solutions, such as solar power, says solar installation specialist Solana Energy business development lead Ahmed Motara. “The CBAM is an innovative policy tool designed by the EU to address carbon leakage and support the EU’s ambitious climate goals.”
As more companies integrate solar energy systems to meet their power needs, it is essential that they invest in cyber-secure technologies to protect against cyberthreats and ensure continuous power, says.solar technology specialists SolarEdge Technologies cybersecurity programme director Uri Sadot. The integration of solar energy systems, specifically unsecured inverters, can expose companies to cybersecurity vulnerabilities such as ransomware attacks, data breaches and remote control by cybercriminals.
The South African market drivers for residential, commercial and industrial solar PV and battery installations have started shifting towards cost savings from security of supply as loadshedding wanes, GoSolar CEO Andrew Middleton asserts. Although installations in 2024 are likely to be well below the 2.6 GW installed during the height of the country’s loadshedding crisis last year, the subscription home solar and battery company still expects about 1 GW of small-scale PV to be installed this year.
France-based global sustainable investment and asset management group Mirova has announced that it is making its first investment in South Africa, a $15-million long-term debt financing arrangement with South African renewable energy development company and independent power producer SolarAfrica Energy. “We are very excited to enter the South African market and to support SolarAfrica, a major and well-respected player, in its ongoing development,” affirmed Mirova Investments deputy head Rim Azirar. “This investment is perfectly in line with our investment strategy dedicated to energy transition in emerging markets, using blended finance to help increase access to reliable and affordable energy in Africa.”
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