Investments in wind paying off for SA

South Africa Wind Power

The South African government's investments in its renewable energy sector is starting to pay off, in wind power in particular, according to Mainstream Renewable Power CEO Eddie O'Connor.

O'Connor said that South Africa needed long-term renewable energy targets, a clear, investor friendly regulatory environment, and transparent grid connection and queuing processes, if it was to make the most of its plentiful wind energy resources. Apparently the government is coming close to these things as Mainstream is prepared to invest what it calls "large quantities of capital" to build sustainable energy assets, as reported by AE-Africa.com.

He added that the whole country is encouraged by the government's efforts to promote renewable energy.

Economically viable wind energy

Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa (MRPSA) released the results of an analysis which used Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and a Mesoscale wind flow model. According to the study South Africa has enough economically viable wind energy sites to generate 184-Terawatt hours (TWh) of indigenous, sustainable energy.

GIS technology was used to map the entire surface area of South Africa researchers assessed a variety of inputs including terrain elevation, wind speed, grid line locations and urban areas, and outputs the areas where wind farms can be constructed.

Up to 5GW of wind power could be built within the next five years, generating 13 TWh of power, or about 5 percent of the nation's current electricity demand.

Wind power cannot be ignored

South African Wind Energy Association deputy chairperson Mark Tanton told Engineering News: "This study, once again, proves that we have a significant wind resource in the country. In order to deliver on our long-term energy future we need to take immediate action.

"If government is serious about reaching its renewable energy targets and finding a cost effective solution to bolster our ailing power supply, the potential contribution from wind power projects cannot be ignored."

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