Energy

Technological advances have made investment in renewable energy more affordable and attractive, especially in a country with such an abundance of natural resources. The Northern Cape has been identified as an ideal location for solar- and windenergy generation.

Wind energy

South Africa’s wind-energy potential has long been touted, especially in the Cape provinces. Wind energy was initially labelled as too expensive, but technology has advanced to the point that it is now an affordable and attractive alternative-energy source.

A joint venture between a South African firm, Genesis Eco-Energy, and an Irish company, Mainstream Renewable Power, should see two new wind farms in operation in South Africa by early 2011. The proposed sites for the wind farms are at Colesberg, in the Northern Cape, and near Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape. Construction on both projects should begin in 2010.

The R11-billion deal hopes to develop an initial contribution of 500 megawatts of energy from wind in the Cape provinces by 2014. The Irish company’s investment is a sign of confidence in South Africa’s alternative-energy potential, and in the country’s ability to develop and operate new and sophisticated energy technologies. Mainstream Renewable Power has also invested in similar development projects in the UK, US, Canada, Chile and Germany.

Solar energy

Eskom, South Africa’s national electricity utility, is working hard to develop its resources to produce more reliable energy for South Africans, and in a way that is both environmentally and economically conscious.

One of the projects proposed by Eskom is a R5-billion solar-power demonstration plant in the Northern Cape that would be able to generate thousands of megawatts of base-load energy by harnessing the power of the sun. The initial plan is to construct a 100-megawatt solar plant and then, if commercially feasible, an additional 1 000-megawatt plant. If interest and funding is forthcoming, Eskom predicts that the first plant could be operational as soon as 2014.

Eskom has stated its objective to include 1 600 megawatts of renewable energy in its overall energy output by the year 2025. As well as solar energy, the utility is also looking to wind, hydro and biomass in order to reach this ambitious, but achievable, target.