South Africa has increased the share of solar PV in its energy mix by 9% owing to new installations driven by the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) since 2012, according to Tshwanelo Rakaibe, Senior Researcher, Energy Centre, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
Speaking in Cape Town on Tuesday, she noted that South Africa deployed over 2.6 GW of rooftop PV capacity in 2023 and ranks among one of Africa’s top solar energy markets in 2024.
“South Africa has not experienced load shedding in the past 50 days and solar energy is playing a crucial role in stabilizing the country’s energy mix,” according to Rakaibe.
Speaking on how the country is advancing the solar market, she stated that a call for proposals to participate in Bid Window 7 recently made by the South African government is a crucial milestone.
Rakaibe emphasized the need for an accelerated adoption of battery energy storage systems to reap the full benefits of solar in ensuring energy security.
“What we are seeing in South Africa is that the momentum around solar is pushing energy storage adoption. 8% of new commercial installations in-country have battery storage. DMRE announced three rounds for battery storage with the first announced in 2023 and the other two set to open for submissions as from this May,” stated Rakaibe.
