Potential of households’ solar PV consumption in South Africa

Abstract

Energy demand and consumption across the world are increasing, putting much pressure on current supply. The solar PV system has become one of the most promising renewable energy technologies. The potential of solar PV differs from one province and household to another depends on many attributes and variables. A household energy survey was conducted through questionnaires and interviews from September 2014 to March 2015 in order to determine perceptions on household energy consumption and solar PV’s potential across household categories in South Africa. The data from the residential households were collected in nine provinces across South Africa using random sampling methods (stratified and systematic). The number of questionnaires (n = 13,007) were completed across South Africa nine provinces. This study found that 25% and 43% of the middle- and high-income residents respectively are interested in paying for electricity based on green sources. These two income groups consume 9.6 and 3 TWh/year, which means that there is a potential of 12.6 TWh/year that can be generated from solar PV technology in the residential sector.