SA - Renewable Energy News

Cape Times 29 March 2012 reports that the implementation of a renewable energy strategy by the Coega Development Corporation (CDC), one of the players in the area of green energy, will undoubtedly contribute immensely to its objectives such as job creation, revenue generation and advancing socio-economic development and transformation in the Eastern Cape.

Currently, wind projects with a combined capacity of more than 6 000 MW are at various stages of the environmental impact assessment process (EIA) in the Eastern Cape, placing the province at the forefront of wind renewable energy projects. The total of 6032 MW of energy projects still in the EIA process outstrips the Medupi coal-fired power station that is currently under construction and that will have an output of 4 788 MW.

Nationally, wind projects totalling 9 345 MW are planned.
There are major projects which have been proposed for theEastern Cape. In the Blue Crane Route Municipality Terra Wind has a plan for a wind farm with the capacity of 1 713 MW and Windlab Developments is planning to erect 350 turbines with a capacity of 700 MW between Cookhouse andBedford.

Electrawinds has invested R 1,2 billion in the Coega Wind Farm project and each of the 25 turbines has a capacity of 1,8 MW which translates into an annual yield of 5 700 kWh, enough energy to power about 1 700 households. In addition, 7 000 MW of solar power developments have also been announced, with Langa Energy having confirmed their investment in a 100 MW photovoltaic facility at Berlin outside King Williams town.

CDC Marketing & Communication Manager,MrAyandaVilakazisays given the volume of both wind and solar projects both in the province and nationally thee is a "solid business case" for component manufacturing inSouth Africafor wind and solar technologies. He points out that there is a "huge market" particularly for solar PV and Off-Grid Technologies adding that the South African government is committed to reducing the country's carbon footprint and "supports green technologies through various incentives". Vilakazi says the 7 000 MV of solar power that is planned has increased the demand for localisation of solar PV panels.

He says theCoegaIDZis the "ideal manufacturing platform" for renewable energy components that, in addition to contributing to the battle against global warming, are revenue generating, create jobs and advance socio-economic development and transformation.

Source: afriwea.org