Environmental campaigners want the government to adopt ambitious targets on renewable energy. This would help SA secure global funds for climate mitigation, cut greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and create a secure energy supply, say the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Greenpeace.
By 2030, at least half of SA’s electricity should come from renewable resources, according to a WWF report released last week.
By contrast, Greenpeace wants SA to produce 36% of its electricity from renewable resources by this date, and also argues that by increasing energy efficiency, SA could achieve a further 30% saving in electricity generation.
The state has set a target for introduc ing renewable energy which equates a cumulative 10000GWh of energy by 2013. Eskom generates about 34000 MW of electricity to meet current demand, and this figure is growing year by year, according to its website.
The WWF compared two scenarios in its report titled 50% by 2030 . The first scenario is a reference case based on Eskom’s build plans, including four big coal plants (Medupi, Kusile and two others) and a new nuclear plant, as well as modest deployment of renewable energy.
The other scenario would see a rapid scaling up of renewable energy. By 2020, the supply share from renewable energy would be just below 15%. It would then be rapidly scaled up as many existing coal-fired plants are due to be retired between 2020 and 2030. “Renewable energy is not more expensive, but it is capital intensive upfront,” said Richard Worthington, WWF climate change programme manager .
Greenpeace said its plan would lead to a net rise of 78000 jobs - more than the International Energy Agency’s estimated 46000 jobs should SA pursue its current path. Jay Rutovitz of Greenpeace said SA should consider renewable energy to boost manufacturing as demand in Africa is expected to rise.
