South Africa is one of more than 75 countries around the world operating wind farms, generating energy from a clean, renewable and free source, the Energy Ministry said in a press release issued on Thursday ahead of the Global Wind Day commemoration.
“Currently there are only eight turbines in the country, but through the Department of Energy’s sophisticated Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP), there are currently 15 wind farms under construction with many more in various stages of development,” the release said. [MORE]
The sub-Saharan country’s recognition on the universal Green map comes hardly a month after the launch of the first ever renewable energy project, RustMo1 Solar Farm, in Rusternberg where the government made a commitment to embark on a process of moving away from carbon-intense modes of energy generation.
South Africa has been internationally recognised for its renewable energy investments. Earlier this month, the country became one of the 10 founding members of the Renewables Club, a political initiative of pioneering countries that are united by an important goal: a worldwide transformation of the energy system. The 10 Renewables Club members currently account for more than 40 per cent of global investments in renewable energy.
South Africa has a high level of Renewable Energy potential and presently has in place a target of 10,000 giggawatts of Renewable Energy.
South Africa’s Energy Minister Elizabeth Dipuo Peters is expected to join South Africa Wind Energy Association and learners in celebrating Global Wind Day in Cape Town on Saturday, the ministry said. An estimated 220 children from Khayelitsha, Langa and Mitchell’s Plain are going to participate in the international initiative celebrating the power that wind energy provides to change the world.
SOURCE: http://www.abndigital.com/page/news/markets/1629740-South-Africas-wind-farms-on-universal-Green-map
Electricity Governance Initiative - South Africa 