Electricity from solar home systems in South Africa

Prasad, Gisela

Electricity from solar home systems in South Africa

Journal Article

2007

Publisher

Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town.

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Energy Research Centre

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment

Abstract

In developed countries, renewable energy (RE) technologies are most often introduced for environmental reasons, to reduce GHG emissions mandated under the Kyoto Protocol – which South Africa signed in 2002. The Protocol does not commit non-Annex 1 (developing) countries such as South Africa to any emission targets in the first commitment period (2008 to 2012), however, and it creates no external pressure to reduce emissions. So it is understandable that in this case study the major government concern is not the environment, but access to electricity for the poor in remote rural areas. RE technologies are not widely disseminated in South Africa, although solar resources are very high and solar technologies are particularly suitable. The general environmental awareness is limited when compared to European countries and it is only recently that the media have been more regularly covering issues such as global warming and its impact on South Africa. The South African government generally supports RE, and its RE policy stipulates a voluntary target of 10 000 GWh to be supplied from renewable sources by 2013. The target is approximately 10% of the country’s electricity demand, of which now less than 1% is met from renewable sources (DME 2004). Different players in projects and the industry give various explanations and reasons why the market has not responded more positively, often citing high initial capital cost as the major explanation. The two South African case studies describe solar water heaters (SWHs) (case study 1) and, in this report, electricity from solar home systems (case study 2). Both case studies include the impact of poverty on the dissemination and acceptance of the technology. SHS using photovoltaic panels to generate electricity have been provided as part of the National Electrification programme in remote poor rural areas to which the grid has not been extended, as a substitute for grid electricity, although in fact subsidised SHS were expected to bring light and television services at a much faster rate than they actually did.