GREEN BUILDING RENEWABLE ENERGY
State of renewable energy in SA
Since we last reported on the matter, there has been considerable progress made towards an envisaged low carbon energy future for SA, in support of green buildings and sustainability in general. Here, we report on the current renewables landscape in South Africa. SOLA Group
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ecent milestones at a strategic governmental level have included the long-awaited release of the government’s Integrated Resources Plan 2019 (IRP). Shortly thereafter, the Minister of Minerals and Energy alluded to certain rights being given to independent power producers to generate and supply electricity direct to users, especially with reference to the mining industry. This is the first time that a senior cabinet minister has referred to the passing of legislation that could directly mitigate the monopoly that Eskom has over the supply and distribution of electricity to consumers, including municipalities. This was backed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who in his State of the Nation Address specifically referred to the renewable energy sector. In his SONA, the President said that a Section 34 Ministerial Determination will give effect to the Integrated Resource Plan 2019, enabling the development of additional grid capacity from renewable energy. However, the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has commented that this is only the first step in delivering new power into the grid. ‘Thereafter, the industry will wait for a Request for Proposals (Bid Window 5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme – acronym REI4P), the announcement of a preferred bidders; and financial closure period (which takes about 12 months), before the power purchase agreements are signed. Then construction can commence, with new projects reaching commercial operation date within 18 to 24 months,’ says a statement issued by SAWEA CEO, Ntombifuthi Ntuli.
The Ibhayi Brewery (SAB) - new microgrid by SOLA.
‘The President has (also) actively prioritised regaining investor confidence and specifically set an investment growth target of R1 trillion over the next five years, which the REI4P will help deliver,’ says Ntuli. ‘With 14.4GW of wind having been allocated in the IRP (for implementation by 2030), giving wind energy 18% of the total capacity allocation, the wind industry views the commitment to 1.6GW per annum as a positive step by government as this allocation will allow Original Equipment Manufacturers and first tier suppliers to commit to local manufacturing of certain components, which contributes directly to job creation,’ concluded Ntuli. Although he could not be contacted for comment within deadlines, the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) Chief Operating Officer, Niveshen Govender, was reported by ENGINEERING NEWS to have welcomed the fact that the energy crisis had been prioritised in the SONA, arguing that this demonstrated that government had grasped the seriousness of the situation. The solar industry was ready and waiting for the Section 34 Ministerial Determination, as well as future rounds of the REI4P, he told the publication.
Environmental consideration and regulation
The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) committed some years back to contribute to the implementation of the renewable energy plans by undertaking Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) to identify adaptive processes that integrate the regulatory environmental requirements for Strategic volume 10 | issue 1 www.tobuild.co.za
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