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SA's renewable energy on track

Simnikiwe Mzekandaba
By Simnikiwe Mzekandaba, IT in government editor
Johannesburg, 13 Sept 2016
The Department of Science and Technology says SA is well on its way to achieving the national objective of 30% clean energy by 2025.
The Department of Science and Technology says SA is well on its way to achieving the national objective of 30% clean energy by 2025.

Renewable energy projects run by the University of Fort Hare (UFH) in Alice, Eastern Cape, and Stellenbosch University are driving large-scale deployment of clean energy technologies in SA.

So says the Department of Science and Technology (DST), which reveals SA is well on its way to achieving the national objective of 30% clean energy by 2025.

A number of tertiary institutions, industry and government are collaborating to support the implementation of renewable energy projects in the country, says the department.

Mmboneni Muofhe, deputy director-general for technology innovation at the DST, says SA is ready to be part of the knowledge-generating community to move sustainable energy solutions forward to respond effectively to the needs of the economic sectors.

Muofhe points out that some of the sustainable and affordable energy solutions that have been developed by postgraduate students from various universities include the Coalgae and Helio100 projects.

Stepping up

According to the department, institutions have stepped up to the challenge to supply not only innovative technologies, but also a trained and skilled workforce to support the renewable energy industry.

Dr Mvuyo Tom, UFH's vice-chancellor, says the university's institute of technology has a number of research projects and outputs that have demonstrated they have visibly changed lives.

The institute developed a biomass gasifier, which is being used to generate electricity in Melani, a rural village 20km from UFH. The gasifier generates electricity that powers a community-based bakery and is used by masters and doctoral students for research purposes.

Tom explains: "The institute is a key platform of the university that is able to identify energy challenges and respond positively with solutions that are not only self-sustainable, but are geared towards contributing to the green economic development of our rural communities in Alice and surrounding districts."

Stellenbosch University's Helio100 project is set to be the answer to the challenge of generating cheap concentrated solar power using a small-scale array of mirrors to concentrate the Sun's energy.

Muofhe notes the industry needs to be in synch with government: "The research has developed some technology solutions and others are still under development; as a result, we need you [universities] to assist us in taking them forward."

Renewable backlash

As government continues to encourage the use of renewable solutions for a sustainable energy supply, SA's power utility, Eskom, has come out against the input of renewable energy to the country's power needs.

Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has been vocal about his displeasure at the use renewable energy.

Molefe has criticised renewables, saying they have not yet developed enough to perform efficiently and make a meaningful contribution to electricity supply in SA.

The power utility also faced backlash for its decision to not sign power purchase agreements with independent power producers (IPPs). The South African renewable industry and environmental groups have lambasted Eskom following its decision to snub IPPs.

Government, however, remains firm that pursuing a diversified energy mix includes IPPs.

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