Renewables will not provide South Africa with 100% of its power, for the foreseeable future

Mineral Resources and Energy Department director-general Jacob Mbele has warned that supporters of renewable energy could actually undermine the sector in South Africa. He was participating in a panel discussion at the Windaba 2022 wind-power conference, in Cape Town, on Wednesday morning. “The renewable energy sector must avoid overpromising and underdelivering,” he cautioned. The industry had to keep a careful eye on those who, in their enthusiasm for renewable energy, exaggerated its capabilities. Such exaggeration did more harm than good, and when “reality hits”, critics of renewables would claim that they didn’t work.