WIND POWER Camels at the
WIND POWER Camels at the Lake Turkana Wind Farm. Credit: LTWP ecosystem (RREE). The scheme is expected to be designed to meet Anglo American’s operational electricity requirements in South Africa through the supply of 100% renewable electricity by 2030. It seeks to develop a network of on-site and off-site solar and wind farms with storage up to 5GW to power Anglo American’s operations. THE HYDROGEN OPPORTUNITY Equally important, the emergence of Africa’s hydrogen industry will also be supporting the growth of its wind sector. In 2021, the Chariot Energy Group signed a MoU with the Mauritanian Ministry of Petroleum, Mines and Energy to move forward on Project Nour, a potential green-hydrogen development of up to 10GW. Under the MoU, Project Nour has been given exclusivity over 14 400km 2 of onshore and offshore area in Mauritania where pre-feasibility and feasibility studies will be conducted to generate solar and wind power used in electrolysis to split water and produce green hydrogen and oxygen. In Namibia, the government issued in late 2021 a notice of award to Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, the joint-venture of Nicholas Holdings Limited and ENERTRAG South Africa (Pty) Ltd, to develop Southern Africa’s first gigawatt-scale green-hydrogen project. The .4-billion scheme will be located within the Tsau//Khaeb National Park, which is among the top five resource-rich locations in the world for co-located onshore wind and solar, according to Hyphen. The project’s full development targets 300 000 tons of green hydrogen production a year from 5GW of renewable generation capacity and 3GW electrolyser. If green hydrogen is to be viable, many more wind and solar plants will have to be built. Credit: Hyphen Hydrogen Energy Green Energy Africa Summit Green Energy Africa Summit is the global platform for stimulating deals and transactions across the African energy sector. The event brings together governments, national regulator and utility companies, independent power players, investors, financial institutions and service providers. The summit drives deals and investment into energy projects, provides energy access and solutions for the continent and shapes the future of Africa. www.greenenergyafricasummit.com 18
GREEN INVESTMENTS HOW SOUTH AFRICA CAN POWER GREEN INVESTMENTS AND END LOADSHEDDING With SA’s energy crisis showing no sign of slowing down, the need to accelerate green investments is now more urgent than ever. By Wesgro CEO, Wrenelle Stander. Wesgro is the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape. UUnderstandably, many bemoan loadshedding as it continues to be a massive drag on productivity and output in key sectors of the economy. But there is a silver lining; loadshedding presents the most opportune moment for South Africa to speed up the transition to renewables and decarbonise by creating an environment conducive for green investments. With its abundant sun and wind, South Africa has the basic resources to attract investments in that space. But we should be doing more to lure green investors. Ramping up targeted incentives to companies operating in the renewable energy space could be one of the most effective ways to spur green investments into the country, and thus keep the lights on – which is necessary to fire up the economy and to make a meaningful dent in unemployment, poverty and inequality. While South Africa is considered the best area for investment in Africa by investors from various countries around the world – topping the list of foreign direct investment with 31 projects in 2020 according to the Attractiveness Report Africa by global professional services firm Ernst & Young (EY) – the country hasn’t done enough to build on this advantage and scale up renewable energy investments. WHAT SHOULD SOUTH AFRICA DO? So, what should South Africa be doing to establish itself as a green investment hub? Huge tax benefits, which could effectively address green economy challenges and changes in consumer behaviour, are one of the most important factors influencing green investment decisions today. This can be seen in countries that top EY’s investment attractiveness index, including the US, the UK and Germany. Examples of sustainable activities that receive substantial tax credits in those countries are in energy-efficient renovations especially in residential buildings. There are also 19 Following the announcement by the City of Cape Town that residents could get cash for power, South African company Versofy Solar received 1 500 enquiries in the month of January. Credit: Versofy Solar
