Large-scale rollout of concentrating solar power in South Africa

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2009

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Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town.

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University of Cape Town

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As part of Climate Strategies ‘International Support for Domestic Climate Policies’ project this paper assesses the large-scale rollout of CSP in South Africa. Described as a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), the scale of CSP deployment is determined, and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions saved and incremental investment costs are estimated in line with the modelling outcomes of the Long-Term Mitigation Scenarios (LTMS) for South Africa (Chapter 2). Based on a stakeholder workshop held in May 2009 the drivers in support of the rollout of CSP are described, in particular the recently established Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (REFIT), and three major barriers relating to technology, regulation and infrastructure are highlighted (Chapter 3). The paper further assesses options of international support in light of the climate change negotiations to overcome the barriers identified (Chapter 4), and lastly, it assesses indicators that may be successful in monitoring the large-scale rollout of CSP (Chapter 5). In this study we define the ‘large-scale’ rollout of CSP in line with the more optimistic ‘renewables extended with learning’ projection modelled in the LTMS of South Africa, as depicted in the figure below. The rollout is characterised by three phases: during the initial ‘Start’ phase, from 2010 to 2015, 2 GW of CSP capacity is constructed; the end of the ‘Scale–up’ phase (2030) results in a 24 GW CSP capacity; and by the completion of the ‘Rollout’ phase (2050) 100GW of CSP capacity should be established. This could result in 3,850 Mt CO2-eq saved over the period 2010-2050 and would require an incremental cost of R 4.7-13 billion per year if CSP technologies experience learning rates of 15 to 20% per year, and less (R 3.6-4.6 billion per year) if the country manages to create a local supply of CSP components. Post-2030, during the ‘Rollout’ phase cost savings are expected to be achieved in South African electricity generation system. Before then the cost to the electricity system is estimate at R2.5 billion for 2010-2015, R 8 billion for 2016-2020 and R23 billion for 2021-2030 above the baseline projection. The rollout could result in approximately 3,800 Mt CO2-eq saved over the period 2010-2050 and the build programme is estimated to require incremental investment costs of R 4-13 billion per year if CSP technologies experience learning rates of 15 to 20% per year, and less – R 2-4.3 billion per year – if the country manages to create a local supply of CSP components.
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