Southern Africa: New Energy Projects Blowing in the Wind

The market for renewable energy equipment in southern Africa is likely to see revenue increase 10 times to $262,3m by 2015, according to consultants Frost & Sullivan.

The prediction augers well for SA, which is anxious to get the renewable energy industry off the ground.

The government has set a target of 10000GWh of renewable energy contribution to final energy consumption by 2013.
The National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) earlier this year released feed-in tariffs for the various renewable energy tariffs — a mechanism to promote investment in renewable energy that places an obligation on a renewable energy purchasing agency to buy electricity from renewable energy generators at predetermined prices.

Despite the ambitious government targets, SA has seen little investment in renewable energy projects. The Darling wind farm in the Western Cape is the country’s most significant investment in renewable energy.

A proposed 100MW wind farm is one of the projects Eskom put on hold on account of the global financial crisis.

AllAfrica