South Africa GHI Solar-resource-map GlobalSolarAtlas World-Bank-Esmap-Solargis

The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is an initiative by the

South African government The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa. Executive authority ...

aimed at increasing electricity generation through private sector investment in solar photovoltaic and concentrated solar, onshore

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to electricity generation, generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable energy, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller Environmental impact of wi ...

small hydro Small hydro is the development of hydroelectric power on a scale suitable for local community and industry, or to contribute to distributed generation in a regional electricity grid. Exact definitions vary, but a "small hydro" project is less t ...

(<40 MW),

landfill gas Landfill gas is a mix of different gases created by the action of microorganisms within a landfill as they decompose organic waste, including for example, food waste and paper waste. Landfill gas is approximately forty to sixty percent methane, ...

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

, and

biogas Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a ...

. As of 2021, a total of 117 projects have been awarded to the private sector. Private sector investment totaling has been committed to the REIPPPP, and would generate 3922 MW of renewable power. The programme supports the commitments made by South Africa under the

Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...

as of 2018, having contributed to climate change objectives, i.e. the reduction of 22.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and saving 26.6 million kilolitres of water.

History

At the

2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17) was held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 11 December 2011 to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions. A treaty was not established, but the conference agreed to est ...

(COP17) in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) was introduced to implement the objectives of the

Integrated Resource Plan Integration may refer to: Biology *Multisensory integration *Path integration * Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome *DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...

(IRP 2010-2030), of which are to diversify the country's energy mix away from fossil-fired power generation like coal and crude oil, to take advantage of opportunities relating to a

Green Economy A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politi ...

, and in creating new green industries with at least 300 000 jobs. These projects have supplied the national grid with 56 206

GWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...

of renewable energy. Fourteen projects have started or are currently being built. Companies are meant to submit competitive tenders and self-fund their projects to be accepted as Preferred Bidders. Following the Stage 6 load shedding crisis in June 2022, President Ramaphosa announced that Bid Window 6 will double the amount procured from 2,600 MW to 5,200 MW, with 3,200MW allocated for wind and 1000 MW for Solar PV. The National Planning Commission also proposed the 100 MW ceiling of private generation be removed. It said solar and wind power projects can bring online 10 000 MW of capacity within 2–3 years.

References

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External links

Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme renewables website
Renewable energy in South Africa

History

See also

References

External links