Browsing by Subject "energy policy"
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- ItemOpen AccessCape Town energy futures: Policies and scenarios for sustainable city energy development(University of Cape Town, 2005) Winkler, Harald; Borchers, Mark; Hughes, Alison; Heinrich, Glen; Visagie, EugeneThe purpose of this report is to develop some scenarios for Cape Town’s energy future. The simulation model, the Long-Range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) system, has been used to simulate how energy might develop in Cape Town over the twenty years from 2000 to 2020. These developments are driven not only by the nature of the energy sector itself, but also by broader factors, notably population, household size, economic growth (which may vary by sector) and other factors. The report builds on previous work done on the ‘state of energy’ for Cape Town (CCT & SEA 2003). That report was useful in capturing the current status of energy in the city, informed the City Energy Strategy conference and Cape Town’s own strategy (SEA, CCT & ICLEI 2003) and provided the starting data for this study. This report takes the work further in developing a tool that simulates what might happen to energy in the future, in a business-as-usual case and with policy interventions. A range of policy interventions are selected, and how these would change energy development in the city is examined, compared to a reference case. Interventions were selected based on various criteria, including implementation cost and technical feasibility, environmental priority, and political will. Different policies can be grouped for their sectors – industry, residential, commercial, government and transport – and also combined to form multiple-policy scenarios. These scenarios should be understood as a series of ‘what if’ questions, e.g. what if the City of Cape Town increased efficiency in its own buildings. The scenarios are not any prediction of the future, nor are any of these scenarios considered more likely than others. Instead, we report the implications of different policies and scenarios. The implications for energy, environment (both local pollutants and global greenhouse gases) and development are of particular interest. This study reports the cost implications of different scenarios only to a limited extent, as to do this adequately for many of the scenarios is beyond the scope of the project. Areas where further work is required, including around costing, are also identified.
- ItemRestrictedClean energy and development for South Africa: Background data, Report 1 of 3(2007) Haw Mary; Hughes AlisonThe study has three main objectives, firstly to update both the models and the data developed and captured during the first integrated energy planning process. Secondly, to project future scenarios for the South African energy system and determine how these developments compare to current sustainability indicators and thirdly to develop additional capacity for energy modelling in South Africa and particularly within the DME. The aim here is to lay out the energy system in South Africa as it is today, the options for the supply and transformation of energy that are currently used and that may be available over the planning period. The document also informs the base case for the model and attempts to clearly document assumptions that have been used to develop the economic, demand and population projections. As the model is to be made available to the DME for use by its energy modelers and planners on completion, the document serves as a guide to the model for the energy officers who will be using the model.
- ItemOpen AccessEnergy policies for sustainable development in South Africa: options for the future(Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town., 2006) Davidson, Ogunlade; Kenny, Andrew; Prasad, Gisela; Nkomo, Jabavu; Sparks, Debbie; Howells, Mark; Alfstad, Thomas; Winkler, HaraldThe purpose of this publication is to present a profile of energy in South Africa, assess trends and analyse some options for the future. It is divided into two parts – Part I presents a profile of energy and sustainable development in South Africa, while Part II uses modelling tools and indicators to assess future policy options for the country.
- ItemOpen AccessPolicies and scenarios for Cape Town's energy future: options for sustainable city energy development(University of Cape Town, 2006) Winkler, H; Borchers, M; Hughes, A; Visagie, E; Heinrich, GThis study examines a set of energy policy interventions, which can make a major contribution to sustainable development for the City of Cape Town – economically, environmentally and socially. Major energy savings can be made from modal shifts in the transport sector, and with efficient lighting. The savings make a contribution to economic development, by freeing up resources. The savings from energy efficiency also have important social benefits in energy savings, reducing energy bills for poor households. From an environmental point of view, implementing the city’s renewable energy target will have significant costs, but these can be partly off-set by selling carbon credits through the Clean Development Mechanism, and will result in indirect health benefits. Targeted interventions can reduce local air pollution, and help Cape Town become a leader in addressing greenhouse gas emissions. Apart from examining the social, economic and environmental dimensions of each policy, this paper compares policies to one another. Of particular interest for sustainable energy development are those policies which are viable in terms of costs, social benefits and the environment. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) in residential, commercial and government sectors and heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) in commerce and government sectors stand out as policies that have benefits from every angle. The paper builds on previous work done on the ‘state of energy’ for Cape Town and develops a tool that can paint a picture of what might happen to energy in the future. Using the Long-Range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) modelling tool, a set of energy policies have been simulated.
- ItemOpen AccessRenewable energy technologies for poverty alleviation - Initial assessment report: South Africa(University of Cape Town, 2005) Prasad, Gisela; Visagie, EugeneSouth African energy policy priorities have always been closely linked to the prevailing political situation. Pre-democratic energy policy and planning were characterized by energy security priorities, excessive secrecy and racially skewed provision of energy services. Post-apartheid South Africa witnessed substantial revision and a strong focus on energy for development. In accordance with the Constitution (Act No. 108 of 1996) an inclusive Energy White Paper (1998) was developed. Major objectives of government’s Energy White Paper are (DME, 1998): • Increasing access to affordable energy services; • Stimulating economic development – encouragement of competition within energy markets; • Managing energy-related environmental and health effects; • Securing supply through diversity – increased opportunities for energy trade and diversity in both supply sources and primary energy carriers. Renewable energy becomes one of the areas that the government would want to consider pursuing in managing energy-related environmental impacts and diversifying energy supplies from a coaldominated system. In May 2004, the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) published the White Paper on Renewable Energy Policy. This targets the provision of 10 000 GWh (accumulative over a period of 10 years) of electricity from RE resources (mainly biomass, wind, solar and small-scale hydro projects) by 2013. This is approximately 4 % of the country’s estimated electricity demand or equivalent to replacing two 660 MW units of Eskom’s combined coal-fired power stations. At present less than 1% of the 200 000 GWh of electricity generated annually in South Africa originates from RE sources (DME, 2004).
- ItemOpen AccessA review of the solar home system concession programme in South Africa(2010) Wlokas, Holle LinneaSince the introduction of the solar home system (SHS) concession programme in 1999, the involved companies and customers have had to adapt to many changes over the years. Government introduced for example the Free Basic Electricity policy in alongside the SHS subsidy and only irregularly awarded tenders for the actual installation of SHSs; companies have split and concession areas have been renegotiated. Despite these changing conditions, some companies have managed to stay in business and are still willing to install systems for new customers. The questions are: who managed to adapt to these changes, and what do the business models of the companies look like? Rural electrification remains a challenge for government and the private sector. High connection costs, low consumption rates and high poverty rates constrain the roll-out of electricity in rural areas. The SHS concession programme was introduced with the objective to "speed up universal access to electricity", and aimed to "attract larger, better organised private companies with their own sources of financing" in the hope that "the strong financial and maintenance control characteristic of the private sector should facilitate the channelling of international development funding". The programme was also meant to motivate the service providers to "adopt a delivery model that promotes a range of fuels such as gas or kerosene, in addition to SHS or mini-grid systems" (Kotze, 2000). Earlier research has been helpful in identifying shortcomings of the programme (for example Energy Research Centre, 2005 and Energy Research Centre, 2004) but, in order to advise policy makers, it is of particular interest to examine the survival strategies the SHS companies adopted.