Small increases in installed renewable energy capacity while significant increases in fuel consumption
The Climate Progress Report for South Africa was published by Climate Scorecard in April 2022. This article gives an update on the performance indicators.
TABLE
| Measurement Category | Frequency | Data Source | Baseline Measurement | First Measurement | ||
| Value | Date | Value | Date | |||
| Amount of CO2 emissions | Monthly | Eskom | 16 917 419.98 tons | Jan 2022 | 17 250 696 tons | May 2022 |
| Total installed capacity of Renewable Energy | Regularly | Eskom | 5901 MW | 05 March 2022 | 6205.2 MW | 02 July 2022 |
| Total fuel consumption | Quarterly | DME | 6 066 995 855 litres | July to Sept 2021 | 6 621 572 899 litres | Oct to Dec 2021 |
| Number of buildings certified as net zero carbon | Regularly | GBCSA | 9 | 05 March 2022 | 11 | 03 July 2022 |
The monthly amount of CO2 emissions from Eskom (the state-owned electricity utility in South Africa) was approximately 2% higher in May 2022 as compared to January 2022. The total installed capacity of renewable energy, including Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), Photovoltaic (PV), wind from Eskom and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and other renewable energy sources was around 5% higher at the beginning of July compared to March. This increase is insignificant given that South Africa has been facing severe shortages of generation capacity, with the country being on Stage 6 load shedding (at least 6 hours without electricity per day) since the end of June 2022. Given the current electricity crisis in South Africa, it is unacceptable that the roll-out of renewable energy is so slow in the country.
The total fuel consumption for the period October to December 2021 was about 9% higher than for the period July to September 2021. More COVID-19 restrictions were being lifted and thus, an increase in transport services, which in turn increases GHG emissions. The number of buildings certified as net zero carbon was 9 as of 5 March 2022 and 11 as of 3 July 2022.
There is a dire need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources to combat the dual challenges of climate change and load shedding in South Africa.
Lean More
- 2022. Emissions. https://www.eskom.co.za/dataportal/emissions/ [Accessed July 2022].
- 2022. Renewable statistics. https://www.eskom.co.za/dataportal/renewables-performance/renewable-statistics/ [Accessed July 2022].
- Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. Energy Statistics. http://www.energy.gov.za/files/energyStats_frame.html [Accessed July 2022].
- Green Building Council of South Africa. Project Directory. https://gbcsa.org.za/resources-listings/case-studies/ [Accessed July 2022].
- Green Building Council of South Africa. Nexu https://gbcsa.org.za/resources-listings/case-study/754/ [Accessed July 2022].
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard South Africa Country Manager Deepti Charitar