Dr Rethabile Melamu
In a world increasingly charged with the urgency of the clean energy transition, South Africa is drenched in a wealth of potential — our abundant sunlight. With some of the world’s highest solar irradiation levels, SA is witnessing a solar energy boom, largely driven by the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA).
SAPVIA and its members play a crucial role in converting this vast - largely untapped - potential into tangible clean energy.
The not-for-profit association is also a cogent voice within South Africa’s burgeoning solar sector, advocating, influencing, and strategically aligning with government policymakers to further the imperative of a just energy transition in SA.
Facing a significant knowledge gap concerning detailed, current information about installed solar capacities across South Africa, SAPVIA is embarking on a pioneering move.
The Association, in collaboration with GEOTERRA IMAGE, are gearing up for the launch of an innovative public Solar Analytics Dataset - a tool that serves to illuminate installed solar PV usage across South Africa, effectively closing the intelligence gap.
South Africa’s utilisation of solar energy is on the rise. The exponential uptake is a response to the ongoing load shedding crisis but is also a strong testament to SA’s commitment to a sustainable, energy-resilient future.
South Africa stands on the cusp of a substantial shift towards renewable energy. Yet, we must confront several challenges. These include grid capacity constraints in highly resourced regions; complex arduous licensing and permit processes for developers and investors; and the need for the renewable sector to effectively drive industrialisation, inclusivity, and job creation, all the while upholding safety and quality standards.
With initiatives such as the PV GreenCard programme, SAPVIA ensures the solar industry adheres to the highest standards of safety and quality as it grows, fostering a vibrant sector that is seeing the installation of solar PV systems in every corner of SA. SAPVIA’s efforts since 2010 have not just fostered robust growth but have also helped in etching solar power into the South African psyche.
“Community acceptance and involvement are crucial for the successful transition to renewable energy. But the process of involving local communities in the governance of renewable energy projects has historically been fragmented.
A key aspect of SAPVIA’s work is promoting transparency, fostering a culture of synergistic collaboration, and ensuring that all stakeholders are part of South Africa’s energy future.
Recognising the importance of data-driven decision-making in this collaborative effort, SAPVIA is offering its Solar Analytics Dataset as a resource to stakeholders.
The Solar Analytics Dataset has been designed to cover diverse access levels; high-level insights such as the number of systems, installed capacity across residential, commercial, industrial and utility-scale sectors, as well as cumulative installed capacity, will all be publicly available.
However, for industry specialists requiring deeper, more specific insights, granular data will be available for purchase. This includes detailed intelligence on specific solar panel locations, sizes, kilowatt outputs, installation site specifics, and even the influences of local weather patterns.
The dataset will provide a snapshot of PV capacity, revealing the scales and areas of solar energy deployment across residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and utility sectors. All this information is available at various levels, including household, suburb, municipality, district, and province, offering stakeholders a comprehensive map of installed solar capacity across SA.
This powerful tool facilitates monitoring the real growth of solar energy in South Africa, offering concrete data that accurately captures the status quo. SAPVIA will synthesise and distil the mass of data into easily digestible quarterly intelligence reports.
The dataset will promote transparency, facilitate informed decision-making, and foster a culture of collective responsibility.
The dataset is still in its infancy but stands to become an instrumental cog in driving a greener, energy-resilient South Africa.
It will give stakeholders the ability to better understand the dynamics of the sector and plot a way forward collectively, as well as for their individual organisations.
By providing a clear picture of solar PV in South Africa, the dataset contributes towards strategies to alleviate the impact of load shedding, by enabling more accurate forecasting and better planning.
The launch of SAPVIA’s solar energy dataset is expected in the coming months.
Dr Rethabile Melamu, CEO of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association.
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