This year has seen more focus given to renewable energy in SA and around Africa.
SA was ranked the third-best investment destination in Africa for renewable energy, and president Jacob Zuma highlighted government's plans to expand its renewable energy programmes in his State of the Nation address earlier this year.
The industry has seen scores of investments in solar plants and innovations with the unveiling of a green taxi rank and solar-powered desktops developed for the continent.
With the amount of movement this year, next year is set to see more growth. Raj Naidoo, MD of Enermatics Energy, highlights the trends to look out for going forward.
1. Innovation in the way we use energy and distributed generation:
Through technology and data, companies will introduce new ways of optimising energy through a mix of distributed generation and utility supply.
2. An increased implementation of renewable energy:
Historically, we've been very reliant on subsidies to implement renewable energy. The electricity price increases are now at a level where many companies can implement renewable energy without subsidies, by taking a long-term view.
3. Eskom's challenge to meet the demand for electricity is set to continue:
Eskom implemented load shedding in the latter part of this year. This is set to continue as the maintenance requirements of various power systems will ensure a continued shortage of power.
4. More municipalities will start to implement smart metering programmes:
Many municipalities are under severe financial strain. Smart metering can help lower operating costs and increase margins. We'll see more municipalities implementing smart metering.
5. Demand response programmes implemented:
Municipalities will look at improving reliability and margins through demand response.
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