Developing wind power in South Africa : a sustainable means to satisfying South Africa's energy demand

Abstract

The South African electricity industry is easily the largest in Africa, yet it has been unable to meet the country's energy demands, despite the country's mass-electrification programme. Power cuts since late 2007 have become standard practice, while close to a third of the country's households are not connected to the grid. South Africa also faces environmental problems, particularly in the form of water shortages, and is in the top quartile for most CO2 equivalent gases released by a country. This report evaluates wind power as a sustainable solution to increasing South Africa's electricity generating capacity. To identify the country's wind energy potential, the resource conditions are examined, followed by an analysis of the electricity industry and incentives that aim to promote the adoption of renewable energy. The findings indicate that the country has abundant locations with favourable wind conditions. It is also apparent that new sustainable generation capacity is required and that the recently introduced governmental incentives render certain renewable energy technologies economically feasible