A new global renewable energy alliance between the wind energy and solar photovoltaic (PV) industries is calling on governments to implement energy transition action plans and cut red tape to meet net-zero targets. A joint study by industry organisations the Global Solar Council and the Global Wind Energy Council found that, by 2030, there will be a 29% shortfall in the projected wind and solar capacity required to keep the world on course to limit global warming to 1.5 ˚C above preindustrial levels and sustain a pathway to carbon neutrality by 2050.
Industry organisation the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has announced the reappointment of Mercia Grimbeek as chair for a second two-year term. Grimbeek, who has served on the board of governance since 2018, has been part of South Africa’s renewable energy sector since its inception 11 years ago.
Forty-nine per cent of investors surveyed by PwC have said they would consider divesting from companies that are not taking sufficient action on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
The ‘2021 Global Investor ESG Survey’ captured the views of 325 investors from around the world, primarily active asset managers and analysts with investment firms, investment banks or brokerage firms.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on November 2 announced that South Africa had signed a political declaration with the governments of France, Germany, the UK and the US, as well as the leadership of the European Union, to establish a partnership to mobilise an initial $8.5-billion, or R131-billion, over the next three to five years through a range of instruments, including grants and concessional finance, to support the implementation of South Africa’s revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) through a just transition to a low-carbon and climate resilient economy. The Political Declaration represents a first-of-its kind partnership to turn these commitments into reality and a model for similar forms of collaboration globally.
A new National Business Initiative (NBI) study offers support for gas as a transition fuel in South Africa’s shift from coal in the production of electricity and synthetic fuels (synfuels). The study stresses, however, that this role should be confined in the electricity sector to the provision of flexible balancing capacity for the country’s growing fleet of variable renewable-energy generators rather than to offer so-called baseload. In the manufacture of synfuels, meanwhile, it is regarded as a lower-carbon replacement for coal, until cleaner solutions, such as green hydrogen, are fully commercialised.
Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 16:00 on Tuesday afternoon until 05:00 on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday afternoon, a generation unit at Kusile power station tripped, adding stress to the power system.
Power utility Eskom will implement Stage 2 load-shedding from 16:00 on November 2 to 05:00 on November 3. This follows after a unit at the Kusile power station tripped on Tuesday afternoon. A unit each at the Matimba and Arnot power stations had also failed to return to service.
On Tuesday morning, Eskom warned that load-shedding may be implemented at short notice should any further breakdowns occur, or should some of the generating units not return to service as expected. It asked that South Africans reduce their power use, as the electricity system is “severely constrained”.
Development finance institution (DFI) the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $57.67-million loan to State-owned Eskom to harness battery storage technology that will increase electricity generation from reliable and efficient renewable energy sources. The funding, a concessional loan, will come from the Clean Technology Fund – a multi-donor trust fund under the Climate Investment Funds.
State-owned monopoly power supplier Eskom said on Friday it would lift all planned power cuts – locally called “load-shedding” – in the country from 8pm local time. The company, which runs a fleet of ageing thermal coal-fired power plants, had been implementing power cuts ranging from two to seven hours a day over the past week due to breakdowns at its sites.
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