Tag: solar energy

South Africa's renewable energy tax incentives have unlocked significant private investment in the commercial solar sector. One fund manager deployed over R1 billion in less than two years. This milestone demonstrates the tangible impact of targeted fiscal policy.

Access to reliable electricity remains a significant challenge across Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in rural areas. Expanding grid infrastructure is often prohibitively expensive and impractical due to difficult terrain and large distances from urban centres. As a result, millions of people rely on costly and polluting diesel generators or go without electricity altogether. Off-grid solar solutions have emerged as a transformative tool in bridging this energy gap.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, South African mines bought electricity from Eskom at regulated tariffs. These tariffs were globally competitive. Eskom prioritised the mines as their most important customers. Eskom faced few hurdles related to climate change concerns. Buyers had little choice, but the energy was cheap and reliable. There were few viable alternatives.

Let's face it: South Africa's power grid is not winning any awards for reliability. Our data centres are feeling the heat - and not in a good way. These digital powerhouses not only keep our online world spinning but are also fuelling the recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution - yet their ever-expanding capabilities hinge on one critical requirement: an uninterrupted power supply.

Mining is a historically linear process – we take materials from the earth, make products from them and eventually throw them away as waste. With the intensification of climate change, environmental degradation, pollution – all products of linear economies – the mining industry needs to transition to a circular economy.

South Africa has experienced severe load shedding (i.e. controlled/scheduled power cuts), almost daily, since September 2022. This recent spike and high frequency of load shedding can be largely attributed to a significant drop in Energy Availability Factor of the coal fleet that has not been optimally maintained due to several  factors.

The draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, which was issued on 31 July 2023, proposes the introduction of a new rooftop solar energy tax incentive for individuals in an effort to encourage South African households to invest in electricity generation capacity, and by so doing, reduce pressure on the electricity grid.

Load shedding remains a thorn in the side of all South Africans and the country’s government, and it’s no surprise that more people are considering the move to solar as a renewable alternative energy source. However, the market is fraught with danger for the unsuspecting and desperate homeowner and consumers need to inform themselves and proceed with caution.

At a time when the country is facing a significant energy crisis, the report provides a consolidated overview of the electricity market from consumption to generation to financing. We have launched our South Africa-focused market report, providing a comprehensive overview of the state of play of the country’s energy sector.

When most people hear the word "gas", they're automatically inclined to think about the type of gas that pumps directly into their fuel tank. But petroleum gas is the most common gasoline fuel we encounter daily, it is only one "type" of gas.