A reflection on South Africa’s energy landscape in 2018

South Africa’s renewable energy sector received a new lease on life in 2018, after years of uncertainty and lack of movement.

With the Ramaphosa government signing nearly R56 billion worth in contracts with 27 independent renewable energy producers during 2018, the way forward, notwithstanding legislative and business challenges, is looking much brighter.

Significant progress has been made in the private sector in adopting renewable energy as a viable and consistent energy supply, often beating the costs of Eskom-supplied power.

We believe that more businesses will make use of renewable energy sources either to supplement their power, or for their primary electricity supply, as batteries and solar PV costs continue to fall.

Robben Island is saving millions of rands on its electricity bill though its microgrid. Earlier this year, Cedar Mill Mall in Clanwilliam opened its doors after Eskom told the developers it could not provide the power needed to supply the large building. These project show that despite inertia and a struggling economy, South African business can still benefit from renewable energy.

Uptake is particularly impressive in the retail sector, with malls catching on to the value of solar to produce low cost power during their busiest hours of operations. Ilse Swanepoel, Head of Utilities at Redefine Properties, whose solar PV fleet produces about 35 754 600 kWh per annum, stated “Solar is no longer niche and is a well-entrenched renewable energy source underpinning the achievement of green-building goals. Demand has grown in recent years, with many large blue chip tenants prioritising their own sustainability efforts, expecting the developer to dovetail and help achieve their objectives.”

This is encouraging. However, uptake in renewable energy should not just be supported by the private sector. For the economy to benefit from renewable energy’s reduced costs, the contracts signed by the government with the 27 independent renewable energy producers must translate into action that is sustainable, consistent and measurable.

Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have reportedly created 35 702 jobs and have spent R766 million on education, health, social welfare and enterprise development, according to figures provided by the ministry.

I’m optimistic about the renewable energy sector, given the government’s willingness in 2018 to acknowledge and engage with alternative energy suppliers, which were on hold for several years. REIPPP’s Round 5 is crucial in terms of accelerating the government’s transformation plan as it is set to bring about higher levels of transformation, localisation and community upliftment requirements.

In addition to this, the successful implementation of the Small IPP programme, aimed at smaller scale projects with a focus on SMMEs, high black ownership and local supply chains is exactly what the renewable sector needs. Going forward, we will need to work closer with all role-players as we better understand the sector and its ability to grow and develop South Africa.

One of the most significant documents is the government’s draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which outlines the way for South Africa to meet its growing national electricity demands by 2030.

The IRP was released for public comment in August. The construction industry (with its high electricity costs it incurs) has already welcomed the IRP, with some saying it could revive the industry. It has also been praised for its proposed increased allocation to renewable energy and the phasing out of coal and the pursuit of the ‘least cost option’ which rules out nuclear at least until 2030.

However, the IRP still lacks in clarity and allocation for embedded generation – which is one of the fastest growing energy sources and key to reducing corporate energy costs. A future-facing IRP takes into account not only the cheapest form of energy, but also the changes in the energy environmental happening globally. Coal-based, heavily centralised energy systems are fast becoming redundant with the introduction of smarter technology.

South Africa is no exception in this picture, with state utility Eskom plagued with difficulties in 2018. Still, Nersa’s (National Energy Regulator of South Africa) announcement giving Eskom the go-ahead to recover R32.7 billion (already approved as part of its adjudication of three separate Regulatory Clearing Accounts), will result in further tariff increases.

This will encourage businesses to look at alternative, consistent and cheaper forms of electricity – resulting in less income for Eskom and municipalities that rely on selling power through their grid.

Nersa continues to agree to Eskom’s requests for increasing tariffs. The embattled parastatal has again asked the regulator to push up tariffs – this time a 15% tariff increase per year over three years – this is on top of a 4.41% price increase Nersa has already granted Eskom. This proves to be one of the many reasons why a balanced energy mix should be put in place.

Another piece of legislation crucial to the sector is the so-called Carbon Tax (revised Draft Regulation on the Carbon offset), which Treasury published on 12 November for a second round of public comment.

Small and medium-scale renewable energy projects with a generating capacity of up to 50MW have been listed by Treasury as eligible for carbon offsets, but Nersa’s regulations might hinder national uptake.

Renewable energy trading, embedded generation and renewable IPPs needs to be supported by South Africans. Renewable energy solutions have the potential to jumpstart our economy; legislation is a step in the right direction. It will be interesting to see how the energy sector will develop in 2019.