The transition to renewable energy could result in cheaper, cleaner and more reliable electricity supply for SA, according to a new study.
It states that renewable energy plus flexible generation or storage provides the least-cost pathway for the electricity sector and that no new coal or nuclear power plants should feature in SA’s electricity future as their inclusion would require subsidies from consumers. The study comes as the government is scrambling to find solutions to the Eskom crisis. The power utility, which supplies virtually all of SA’s energy, has struggled with maintenance issues and design flaws at its new coal power stations, Medupi and Kusile. It had to resort to stage-four load-shedding in March as it could not meet demand.