Electricity and Control December 2021-January 2022

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

Looking to the next decade of growth in wind energy AtWindaba 2021, held in early October last year at the CapeTown International Convention Centre, the wind energy sector celebrated 10 years of wind energy in South Africa – and looked to the next decade of growth in the industry against the background of a changing energy landscape, locally and globally. In her opening address, Mercia Grimbeek, Chair of the South AfricanWind Energy Association (SAWEA) highlighted the milestones to be celebrated and the challenges ahead.The full address is shared here.

Mercia Grimbeek, Chair, SAWEA.

O ur celebration of ten years of wind energy in South Africa brings us to a confluence as our industry stands ready for the next decade of growth. We are ready to play our part in building the economic landscape of South Africa at a time when, like many other nations, we are ravaged by the impacts of the protracted health pandemic. As we are all aware, South Africa’s energy availability is at an all-time low, having decreased dramatically over the past twenty years, when in fact the country requires more power to keep the

wheels of industry turning and meet the needs of a growing population. To achieve this, key elements require alignment, including supportive policy and political will; rolling procurement; the ability to drive the local manufacturing sector in addition to other localisation requirements; investor confidence and access to Green Finance; and a sector transformation framework – many of which are already in place. In addition to celebrating the renewal of the REI4P with Bid Window 5 (BW5) successfully

Dr Crispian Olver, Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Commission.

Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm spans 3 700 hectares between Jeffreys Bay and Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape and supplies 460 000 MWh of renewable energy a year to the national grid.

12 Electricity + Control DECEMBER 2021-JANUARY 2022