Affordable and Clean Energy​

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

Contents

Share this resource:

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

Download

View

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

Download

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

View

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

View

Goal 77.2.1A1Amount of renewable energy at annual operating capacitycoming soon

View

Goal 77.2.1A2Annual amount of electricity produced from renewable sourcescoming soon

View

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

View

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

View

Data

Energy Distribution and Access in South Africa

Infographic

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.