The South African Government and the International Energy Agency (IEA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which each party commits to work closely on a broad range of energy-related issues, leading to the current process to develop a national solar energy technology roadmap.
The country's 2030 goal is to have 42% of new electricity generation coming from renewables other than hydropower.
9 July 2012: The Government of South Africa, supported by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the German Development Agency (GIZ), is in the process of developing a national solar energy technology roadmap, which aims to identify the steps the country should take to increase the uptake of solar energy.
This collaborative effort comes under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between IEA and South Africa’s Department of Energy, in which each party commits to work closely on a broad range of energy-related issues. During initial discussions, the focus was on a 2010 solar energy technologies report, which may form the basis for the new roadmap.
With radiation patterns making South Africa a country with a great potential for solar energy, the country’s 2030 goal is to have 42% of new electricity generation coming from renewables other than hydropower.
The next steps in the development of the roadmap include the establishment of the role of stakeholders across the board, and their place in addressing issues and challenges the energy sector will face in its plans to increase the uptake of solar energy. [IEA Press Release]