In South Africa, the coal to clean journey could deliver an extra 250 000 jobs and more than $10 billion gross value added to the economy over 25 years if an ambitious green recovery is pursued.
This is according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind energy sector.
The organisation yesterday published the “Capturing Green Recovery Opportunities from Wind Power in Developing Economies” report, written in collaboration with BVG Associates.
The report highlights the vast and largely untapped socio-economic and environmental opportunities that could be unlocked by wind energy in a group of developing economies from 2022-2026.
It focuses on five countries – Brazil, India, Mexico, the Philippines and South Africa – each of which face particular challenges due to COVID-19, but which have significant untapped wind energy resources that could unlock rapid economic growth under green recovery measures.
GWEC notes SA’s journey to clean energy was kick-started with an $8.5 billion (R130 billion) financing package agreed at COP26.
The climate finance deal aims to accelerate the country’s transition to renewable energy and away from coal.
The funds would go to support coal workers and dependent communities, and include provision for Eskom to repurpose its aging coal power plants.
SA also aims to invest in the development of new sectors such as electric vehicles and green hydrogen, while providing for the economic inclusion of historically marginalised communities and sectors of society.
“This would also deliver enormous decreases in carbon emissions equivalent, as well as save more than 50 million litres of water annually from 2026,” says GWEC.
The report comes as South Africa is pinning its hopes on renewable energy to plug the country’s electricity shortfall and boost the economy in the process.
This week, mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe said the country’s natural resources and the development of the renewable energy industry have the potential to accelerate the economy and set the country towards a low carbon economy state.
Mantashe was addressing the Solar Power Africa conference in Cape Town, on Wednesday.
“Government recognises the role that renewables are playing in the just energy transition. We are a coal-based energy economy. We need to diversify our energy mix as we transition from high carbon emissions to low carbon emissions.
“With the natural resources we have for the development of the renewable industry, it is possible to generate the much-needed energy to kick-start our economy and put South Africa on a just energy transition trajectory,” he said.
Ben Backwell, GWEC CEO, says: “Policy commitments, investment in expansion of grid and transmission infrastructure, as well as simplifying the permitting schemes for renewable energy projects, are the common recommendations across each country studied in this report.
“Addressing these barriers proactively, in coordination with the wind energy industry and other relevant stakeholders, can support accelerated deployment of wind energy and a green recovery in emerging economies.
“The time for action is now, and governments need to use forums such as the G20 to turn promises, targets and ambitions into decisive interventions that provide the foundations for local communities and the private sector to make the energy transition a reality.”
Mike Blanch, associate director at BVGA Associates, says: “Our work with GWEC shows how wind energy can deliver a green economic recovery and cheap energy. The report includes recommendations on how to strengthen policy, transmission and permitting to create jobs and establish local supply chains.”
According to GWEC, the total upside for green recovery measures across the five countries examined in the report include 2.23 million full-time equivalent jobs over a 25-year lifetime of wind projects, and nearly 20GW of additional wind power installations – enough to power roughly 25 million homes each year from 2026 onward, and potentially save the equivalent of 714 million metric tons of CO2 emissions over wind farm lifetimes.
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