Drivers, barriers and a method for evaluating the feasibility of residential rooftop solar PV in Durban (part 2)

Abstract

Historically, Eskom South Africa produced the cheapest electricity in the world, but this position has changed over the last decade due to several factors, such as constraints in building new generation plants within the country. This has led to under frequency load shedding and the doubling of electricity prices in the country. With the ongoing electricity price increases, connection of small scale embedded/distributed generation on the local electricity distribution networks is becoming an increasingly attractive prospect in South Africa. Electric utilities are faced with various concern in understanding the impacts arising from the potential uptake figures that these small scale distributed generation/embedded generation plants will have on their existing low voltage networks. This paper discusses the barriers and drivers of small scale residential rooftop solar PV. The eThekwini Municipality is utilized as a case study example.