DERs

Local election fever has arrived in South Africa and the population is readying itself to elect their municipal councillors, while loadshedding persists.

A study by The Rockefeller Foundation found that investing in distributed renewable energy systems could end energy poverty and create 25 million direct jobs in the power sector in Africa and Asia by 2030.

The Catalizing Investment for Energy Access: Making the Case for Change report identifies policy and financial barriers to investment in Ethiopia’s off-grid solar market with a view to end energy poverty.

The South African solar PV market installed 1,313MW during 2020, broken down into 813MW of utility-scale systems and 500MW of distributed generation.

More than a month ago, on 10 June, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa lifted the limit for generation for companies without the need for a licence from 1MW to 100MW. Industry stakeholders are now waiting for the next step in the process, an announcement is simply not enough. People are asking, how long does it take to write the 100MW generation notice?

RES4Africa Foundation and AFRY says Tunisia could achieve its decentralised renewable energy sector development by opening its market to private investors and improving the energy off-taking conditions by increasing the attractiveness of its self-consumption regime.

Legal experts warn much will depend on new regulations due by 10 August 2021 but are cautiously optimistic about the country’s future after the South African President’s 100MW announcement.

Every renewable megawatt—regardless of who owns it and who the offtaker is—that comes online supports our energy transition.

The IKEA Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation have announced a $1 billion joint venture that aims to reduce 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and improve 1 billion lives with distributed renewable energy (DRE). The initiative will be operated through a new global platform, launching in 2021

Is this assessment of Africa's energy and power sector realistic, and more importantly, how has it changed over the past 25 years?