“South Africa’s hunger for energy continues to increase as the economy is growing and people’s living standards are rising,” says Peter Thiele, Executive Vice President Sharp Energy Solution Europe. “Shortages in energy supplies are looming, while power station capacities need to be expanded. But South Africa still relies heavily on coal…”

In March, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) announced its Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (REFIT). The list included power generation from wind energy, hydropower, landfill gas and solar thermal power plants (CSP) – but no solar PV.

Following the March announcement, NERSA is now looking at adding other renewable energy sources to the list, including solar PV.

“We are very optimistic that solar PV will also be included in the feed-in tariff over the coming months,” says Barbara Rudek, Manager Governmental Policy Affairs Sharp Energy Solution Europe.

“The fact that South Africa is converting in the mid-term to an energy mix with a high percentage of renewable energy not only helps to preserve the climate, but also offers reliable power supplies and eliminates costly subsidies for coal power,” Rudek adds.