Page 45 - Energize June 2022

VIEWS AND OPINION

Multiple benefits from SA’s move

towards renewables

s South Africa begins a more rapid adoption of renewable energy sources as part of
its transition away from fossil fuels, this is expected to have direct positive impacts
Aon air quality and health.
According to Nicola Rump, principal environmental scientist at SRK Consulting, the trend
will contribute towards the country’s climate change commitments and improve air quality –
which is increasingly of concern, along with the associated health impacts, in some parts of
the country.
Nicola Rump
“With stricter standards in recent decades, stewardship of our water resources can also
be improved as we move toward renewable energy,” she said. reducing the impact of unexpected failure
Last year, South Africa’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement at a local level.
Programme (RMIPPPP) progressed with the awarding of preferential bidder status to eight “While any disruption of a large,
private energy producers. centralised power generating system can
“Using sources ranging from liquified natural gas (LNG) and diesel (mainly as back-up) leave large areas unsupplied, the impact is
to solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and battery energy storage systems (BESS), these likely to be much less if a single turbine or
bids showed that the cost gap between renewable and fossil fuel energy generation small facility is temporarily out of service,”
had narrowed,” she said. The RMIPPPP called for bids to supply 2000 MW to meet the she said.
immediate electricity supply gap, and another 11 813 MW from various energy sources.
She noted that a further upside of using more renewable sources – such as solar energy Send your comments to
facilities and wind farms – is that power generation is gradually decentralised, potentially rogerl@nowmedia.co.za
WCk Wind Energize 148x210 copy.pdf 1 2022/05/12 9:17 AM

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