Private sector is hot for renewable energy

Johannesburg - The government is likely to come under increasing pressure to include more stringent medium-term targets for renewable energy in the electricity mix as it formulates a policy on climate change

A target of 15 percent renewable energy by 2020 was endorsed on Friday by representatives of civil society and
the private sector.

The representatives appear to be coalescing as an organised industry lobby after a national renewable energy conference hosted by environmental group WWF South Africa.

This comes as a report froma University of Cape Town institute for energy studies, commissioned by WWF, found that
a renewable energy target of 15 percent by 2020 was feasible.

The study selected wind and solar thermal as South Africa’s renewable energies of choice, noting that the target would require a “huge capital investment programme” to build 116 solar thermal plants of 100 megawatts each, or 213 wind farms of 100MW each, operating at 30 percent availability or a combination of both.

South Africa has one privately owned 5.2MW wind farm in Darling, Western Cape. Others are on the drawing board, including a two-phase 200MW Eskom facility on the west coast, which together represent a fraction of the requirements of a 15 percent target.

Solar thermal technology on a commercial scale is still in its infancy. Eskom hopes to establish a demonstration
plant for a 100MW solar tower in Uppington, but has not raised the finance.

Wikus van Niekerk, the director of the centre for renewable and sustainable energy studies at Stellenbosch University, told the conference that South Africa had about 500 000MW of solar thermal energy available – more than 10 times current demand.

A resolution from the conference called on the state to provide scientific, industrial, tax, tariff and trade support for investment in renewable energy.