Electricity and Control March 2025

Renewable energy + industrial sustainability

Africa has the advantage of abundant solar, wind and other renewable energy resources which can serve socio-economic development as well as the drive to decarbonisation.

Renewable energy is the continent’s real sunrise sector The South African renewable energy industry is proving to be a case study for the rest of the continent. It has seen substantial involvement from the private sector, which has led to significant capital investment to maintain and improve infrastructure. It is creating jobs in metropolitan and rural areas. One example is Starsight Energy’s SunCentral solar farm development in De Aar, in the Northern Cape, where operations will create more than 460 permanent and contract jobs. Innovations in renewable energy are saving South African businesses substantial amounts of money, with solutions such as on-site solar, electricity wheeling, energy trading and aggregation helping make the switch to green energy possible – and profitable – in the commercial and industrial sectors. With the rise of independent power producers (IPPs), African governments don’t have to drive the transition on their own. Each sector has a critical role to play – and success breeds more success. At this time in Africa, where the challenges of climate change intersect with the opportunity to redefine its energy future, the path to decarbonisation should be neither a sprint nor a stumble – it must be a deliberate, phased journey involving the collective e†ort of all stakeholders. By embracing a balanced energy mix, encouraging innovation, and leveraging deregulation, Africa can transition to a low-carbon future without compromising its socio-economic priorities. Renewable energy is not only an environmental imperative – it is an economic opportunity, a job creator, and a cornerstone for sustainable development. Breaking ground on SunCentral Independent power producer, SolarAfrica Energy, now merged with Starsight Energy, broke ground on SunCentral, its first utility-scale solar farm, in June 2024. Phase 1 of the project will establish around 342 MW in generation capacity. Phases 2 and 3 will take total generation capacity to 1 GW – making this one of the largest projects of its kind in the country. SunCentral aims to provide power on a one-to-many basis, so more South African businesses can access cheaper, cleaner energy via wheeling, and this will contribute to driving economic growth in the commercial and industrial sectors. For more information visit: www.starsightenergy.com

favour. The continent is largely unburdened by the need to decarbonise an ‘old economy’, which is what most western regions face, and it is blessed with immense renewable energy potential. Strategically harnessing these assets could fast-track climate action and unlock significant economic opportunities for the continent. To get there, however, we need to change our perspective from believing that fossil fuels are the only road to job creation, political power and economic growth. It need not be ‘either/or’ but rather, ‘and’. We must aim for more choice, less reliance on one energy type, and greater sustainability. A measured pace Eradicating fossil fuels will not happen overnight; the losses from flipping the switch prematurely would be too great. Rather, our focus should be on what can be added to the energy mix, and the steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint. If we look at natural gas, for example, generally viewed as the ‘least’ of the fossil fuel evils, natural gas and renewable energy can be complementary as part of a balanced energy strategy, especially during the transition to a low-carbon future. We’ve seen, in real-time, major oil and gas companies drilling more and backtracking on their renewable energy targets and e†orts. Yet, when natural gas, a by-product of oil drilling, is captured and used as fuel, it is combusted more e†iciently, producing lower carbon dioxide (CO´) emissions compared to coal or oil. However, it is important to ensure it is properly handled, as gas flaring or venting has a seriously negative environmental impact. A significant change in the energy context is that the common excuse dismissing renewable energy as ‘too expensive’ has lost its weight. The build cost of renewable energy has reduced substantially over recent years while the trend in grid supplied electricity prices in most countries has climbed. Globally, fuel prices have been highly volatile, with prices escalating on the back of political upheaval in the Middle East and Ukraine / Russia. And when compared to traditional power tari†s in countries like South Africa, annual renewable energy escalations are negligible. The battle is no longer between clean energy and cheap energy; it is now significantly more a†ordable to go the renewable route.

MARCH 2025 Electricity + Control

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