Affordable and Clean Energy​

Information and data related to energy distribution and access and the future of clean energy in South Africa​

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Last updated: 25 February 2021 | Authors: Amelia Hilgart 

Overview

The South African National Development Plan 2030 (NDP) includes an enabling milestones to:

Produce sufficient energy to support industry at competitive prices, ensuring access for poor households, while reducing carbon emissions per unit of power by about one-third.

In order to facilitate this, a priority infrastructure investment of ‘Procuring at least 20 000MW of renewable electricity by 2030, importing electricity from the region, decommissioning 11 000MW of ageing coal-fired power stations and stepping up investments in energy-efficiency’ was made. The current South African electric grid is dominated by coal production which generates 69% of national electricity with an additional 14% generated by crude oil and 11% generated through renewable energy (DoE, 2019). 52% of the total electricity consumption in South Africa comes from industrial use and 8% by domestic use.

Most South Africans access electricity through prepaid meters in their homes, however, access is not evenly distributed throughout the country with 76.6% of households in Umdoni Local Municipality without access and 0.3% of homes in Swellendam Local Municipality without access (StatsSA, 2016).

SDG Indicators

GoalIDIndicatorDataDashboard
Goal 77.1.1Proportion of population with access to electricity

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Goal 77.1.2Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology

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Goal 77.1.2DPercentage of the population that uses solar energy as their main source of energycoming soon

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Goal 77.2.1Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumptioncoming soon

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Goal 77.2.1A1Amount of renewable energy at annual operating capacitycoming soon

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Goal 77.2.1A2Annual amount of electricity produced from renewable sourcescoming soon

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Goal 77.3.1Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDPcoming soon

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Goal 77.a.1International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systemscoming soon

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Data

Energy Distribution and Access in South Africa

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Resources

References

  • DEFF. (2021). South African Renewable Energy EIA Application Data [Database]. Accessed February 2021. https://egis.environment.gov.za/renewable_energy
  • DEFF. (2021). National Climate Change Response Database [Database]. Mitigation Responses. Accessed February 2021. https://ccis.environment.gov.za/nccrd/#/
  • DoE (Department of Energy). (2021). Renewable Energy Data and Information Service [Database]. Accessed February 2021. http://redis.energy.gov.za/data-source-and-referencing/
  • DoE (Department of Energy). 2010 – 2017. Energy Balance reports, years 2010 – 2017.
  • DoE (Department of Energy). 2017. Electrification Backlog as at March 2017. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa.
  • Kerryn Warren, & Leo Chiloane. (2018). NERSA Licences [Data set]. National Energy Regulator of South Africa. https://doi.org/10.15493/BEA.DATA.10000098
  • IEA (International Energy Agency). 2021. IEA South Africa: Data browser, CO2 emissions per unit of GDP (SDG 9.4), South Africa 1990-2017. Accessed February 2021.
  • OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). 2021. Creditor Reporting System (CRS) [Database]. Accessed February 2021. https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=crs1#
  • StatsSA. 2019. Sustainable Development Goals: Country Report 2019. http://www.statssa.gov.za/MDG/SDGs_Country_Report_2019_South_Africa.pdf
  • StatsSA (Statistics South Africa). 2017. Community Survey 2016. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa.