The renewable energy sector in South Africa has been earmarked as the only way for us to curb our burgeoning energy crisis. In a recent blog post we unpacked the different kinds of renewable energy that can be harnessed to produce the amount of energy that we need. Solar energy has been pinpointed as the favourable source of renewable energy because it is the easiest to implement, albeit still a costly exercise.
The South African government is committed to the deployment of renewable energy projects around our country.
In fact, they recently announced that the Department of Energy has approved 13 new renewable Independent Power Producer (IPP) bids. You can read more about the IPP Procurement Programme here . The government has acknowledged that South Africa has the potential to become a renewable energy hub, and so has established this programme in an effort to drive South Africa’s renewable sector and create environmentally sustainable growth within our country’s economy.
Load shedding is a direct result of the energy crisis, and every little bit of effort counts.
Stabilising the energy usage in South Africa is the only way for us to put an end to load shedding. Until then, load shedding will continue. According to our Department of Energy and other experts, renewable energy is the only real answer to this concern. In the meantime, efforts need to be made by all South African citizens because every single little bit of energy saving assists with curbing the crisis.
Homeowners and business owners alike should be concerned with their daily energy consumption. The reduction of their energy consumption should be prioritised and there are many different ways in which this can be achieved. Business owners could take a feather out of the cap of the 1.2MW Black River Park Solar Project , that we wrote about in our blog concerning Cape Town’s attempt to get off the grid, as this is a fine example of a company making use of renewable energy. Homeowners, on the other hand, can also get off the grid through the installation of solar panels to power their homes.
In both instances, this can be a costly exercise as a capital outlay is required but the rewards outweigh the obstacles tenfold. However, should the installation of solar panels need to be placed on the back burner, there are other ways in which one can save energy. Have a look at our Guide to Green Building your Home to understand more about how to save on energy and do your part in curbing the crisis.
The best of the best in renewable energy experts will be gathering next week in Cape Town.
Next week, African Utility Week takes place from the 12-14 May 2015 in Cape Town. Africa’s top renewable energy experts, investors, project managers, technology providers and public entities will be gathering to discuss renewable energy for the continent. Interestingly enough, solar power seems to be the topic de jour at the conference.
