South Africa’s lack of sufficient reserve capacity to back up unforeseen outages has led to rolling black outs across the country, leaving many with up to eight hours of no power.
As foreign ministers gathered in at the Group of 20 meeting, President Ramaphosa reaffirmed the global commitment to ending poverty, protecting the planet, and promoting sustainable economic growth. With only five years left to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this weekend’s events serve as a stark reminder for South Africa to diversify its energy mix to meet the target outlined in the Paris Agreement.
According to Statista data, renewable energy will account for just under 20% of South Africa’s power mix by the end of this decade. In its current five-year Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, South Africa aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to between 350mn tonnes and 420mn tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030, a reduction of 10–25% from current levels.
At the current rate of renewable energy adoption, however, South Africa will struggle to meet its own commitments, and the public sector alone cannot be responsible for moving the country towards its targets.
The need to address energy shortages, reduce reliance on coal, and mitigate environmental impacts will need to be driven by the private sector. Keegan Beyers, product manager at Rectron explores the future of renewable energy and how consumers (businesses and homes) can help to mitigate harm.
Supporting the private sector to transition
Out of habit, consumers revert back to the grid when energy supply is stable, whatever the power source, sustainable or not, expensive or not.
Even with the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) proposing a 66% hike in electricity tariffs over the next three years, convenience will continue to overshadow sustainability.
Most South Africans have yet to fully realise that renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, have much lower operating costs, once the initial investment is made.
Government, in an effort to drive the development of sustainable solutions, has also provided a range of incentives and policies, like tax credits, subsidies, and other financial benefits for businesses and citizens.
Through these programmes, both individuals and organisations can reduce their dependence on the grid and generate their own clean power, while saving costs.
Solar efficiency accelerating
Innovations in solar technology, as well as energy storage solutions like Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), are making renewable energy more efficient and cost-effective over extended periods of use.
Solar cell technology advancements are improving efficiency and reducing costs, with new materials and designs enabling higher energy conversion rates.
In more rural settings, floating solar panels are mounted on platforms that float on bodies of water, such as lakes and reservoirs, making use of space that would have otherwise gone unused using older technology.
Distributed Energy Storage Systems (DESS) provide flexibility and stability to renewable energy generation by storing excess energy and releasing it when needed.
Combined, these developments are improving efficiency, cost effectiveness and competitiveness against grid power, allowing people in more income groups to become energy independent.
The role of AI
Smart power is about more than just cutting emissions but getting the most out of solar systems. This is about delivering the correct amount to those who need it, at the right time, and from the most sustainable sources.
Powered by artificial intelligence (AI) systems, smart grids use complex, evolving data models to generate the most efficient, flexible and responsive generation, storage and transmission schedules.
Through advanced analysis, these systems can optimise the operation of smart grids by predicting consumption patterns and managing energy distribution efficiently.
AI’s integration into renewable energy management is helping create more efficient, resilient, and sustainable energy systems
AI algorithms can even analyse weather data and historic patterns to forecast energy production from renewable sources, like solar.
They can also monitor the health of renewable energy equipment and predict failures before they happen.
As AI evolves to meet the advances in technology and the changes in the environment, we can expect AI to be at the forefront of creating smarter, cleaner and more sustainable energy grids.