Out now: Data and figures on the co-benefits of decarbonising the power sector in South Africa
South Africa is in the midst of an energy transition, with important social and economic implications, depending on the pathways that are chosen. Political decisions on South Africa’s energy future link the missions and mandates of many government departments beyond energy, such as environment, industry development, science and technological innovation.
Importantly, the whole debate boils down to a single question: How can renewables improve the lives of the people in South Africa? Four new studies, edited by IASS Potsdam and CSIR Energy Centre, contribute the much-needed data and figures to answering this question. They also provide guidance to government departments and agencies on further shaping an enabling environment to harness the social and economic co-benefits of the new energy world of renewables for a just energy transition in South Africa.
- Consumer savings through solar PV self-consumption in South Africa
- Improving health and reducing costs through renewable energy in South Africa
- Future skills and job creation through renewable energy in South Africa
- Economic prosperity for marginalised communities through renewable energy in South Africa
Under their shared responsibility, the CSIR Energy Centre (as the COBENEFITS South Africa Focal Point) and IASS Potsdam invited the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and Department of Energy (DoE), together with the Independent Power Producers (IPP) Office, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) to constitute to the COBENEFITS Council South Africa in May 2017 and to guide the COBENEFITS Assessment studies along with the COBENEFITS training programme and political roundtables.
For more information on COBENEFITS assessments and activities in South Africa, visit www.cobenefits.info. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our communications officer Laura Nagel (laura.nagel@iass-potsdam.de).