16 November 2012

Covering project financial close, contract awards and construction starts, the news covers both solar PV and concentrated solar power (CSP).

Why this news flurry?

Well, this month saw the project bidders of the 28 renewable energy projects selected to proceed by the South Africa Department of Energy (DOE) under the first round of its Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) sign power purchase and project agreements with the state utility Eskom .

The agreements “indicate the realisation of our long held dream for the deployment of large scale renewable energy,” stated South Africa’s energy minister, Dipuo Peters . In total, the projects have a combined capacity of 1400MW and represent an investment of R47bn. Combined Solar PV and CSP account for 781.53MW (wind power accounts for the remaining 633.99MW).

“This day will go down in history as the day that our government delivered on its commitment to ensure that this nation grows its renewable energy component of our energy mix,” Peters said. With the more established markets facing some tough times, it has also provided some much needed good news in the solar arena too.

So here are my Top 5 South Africa solar energy news announcements for November so far… click here to continue reading