Abstract
The purpose of the research on which this article reports was to investigate how renewable energy forms part of the strategy of a local government, and to evaluate how participatory processes are utilised in the development and communication of this municipal strategy. The research was conducted with Hessequa Municipality, a local authority situated in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. A new aspect of the research was an attempt to consider renewable energy options as part of the municipal strategy, and not as a standalone project. Action research was undertaken and the resulting qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Cognitive mapping was used to display the data and to analyse the causal relationships between different strategic themes. The causal relationships explicitly show that many opportunities for renewable energy solutions are evident in the form of: biomass-to-energy, low-carbon local economic development, small-scale embedded generation, waste-to-energy, and feed-in tariffs. The barriers for implementation are aging infrastructure and financial and legislative constraints. Participatory processes formed an integral part of the strategy formulation, and a unique visualised strategy was developed for communication with local citizens—a first for a local municipality in South Africa.
Highlights
The case for renewable energy solutions, such as solar energy, wind energy, hydropower and biomass, is robust in South Africa
Wind shows enormous potential in South Africa, with 6422 MW of electricity procured through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and 3776 MW of electricity generation capacity connected to the national grid by June 2018 [2]
The research concluded that renewable energy technology for local authorities, such as Hessequa Municipality, is worth investigating
Summary
The case for renewable energy solutions, such as solar energy, wind energy, hydropower and biomass, is robust in South Africa. Wind shows enormous potential in South Africa, with 6422 MW of electricity procured through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and 3776 MW of electricity generation capacity connected to the national grid by June 2018 [2]. According to the Renewable Energy Status Report [1], the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies decreased by 83% from the REIPPPP Bid Window 1 to R 0.62/kWh, or USD 0.05/kWh. The onshore wind price decreased by 59% over the same period. The policy landscape enables the implementation of renewable energy technologies and promotes ecologically sustainable development and the use of natural resources [3]. The 1998 White Paper on Energy Policy [4], the 2003
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
