Industrial scale solar heat in South Africa: Opportunities in agri-processing and textiles

The report identifies significant opportunities for solar thermal energy in South Africa's agri-processing and textile sectors due to their need for heat below 160°C. It quantifies the potential installation area and greenhouse gas savings, while analyzing the financial drivers, such as rising energy prices, and barriers, including high capital costs and a lack of component-level certification. The document advocates for the use of Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and government support to transition the 'infant' solar thermal industry toward cost-competitiveness.

• South Africa possesses high solar irradiation potential, yet its solar thermal installations (1,055 MWth) are significantly lower than those in countries with less solar potential, such as Austria (3,541 MWth) and Germany (12,281 MWth).
• The agri-processing industry has a potential for solar thermal installations ranging from 425,000 to 3,758,000 m², which could provide between 425 and 3,758 GWh of heat per annum and save 110,922 to 942,556 tonnes of CO2e annually.
• The textile industry's potential for solar thermal installations is estimated at approximately 519,000 m², providing 519 GWh of heat per annum and saving 58,687 tonnes of CO2e annually.
• Solar thermal is financially viable as a substitute for most conventional fuels—including heavy fuel oil (HFO), paraffin, electricity, diesel, petrol, and LPG—with payback periods typically around 5 years, although it is currently not financially attractive for replacing coal.
• The South African solar thermal market is characterized as an 'infant industry' with high and varying system costs, which makes it less cost-competitive than markets in other countries and creates difficulty for clients in comparing quotes.
• A significant regulatory barrier is the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) requirement for full system testing rather than component testing, which increases costs and inhibits local manufacturing.
• Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) can mitigate the high capital cost barrier by providing the investment in exchange for a share of energy savings or payment for energy provided at a lower cost.
• The South African Solar Thermal Technology Roadmap (SA-STTRM) envisions exponential growth in large-scale installations, targeting nearly 4,000,000 m² by 2030.

APA

GreenCape (2017). Industrial scale solar heat in South Africa: Opportunities in agri-processing and textiles. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Industrial-Scale-Solar-Heat-in-South-Africa-opportunities-in-agri-processing-and-textiles-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Industrial scale solar heat in South Africa: Opportunities in agri-processing and textiles. 2017. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Industrial-Scale-Solar-Heat-in-South-Africa-opportunities-in-agri-processing-and-textiles-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Industrial scale solar heat in South Africa: Opportunities in agri-processing and textiles |date=2017 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Industrial-Scale-Solar-Heat-in-South-Africa-opportunities-in-agri-processing-and-textiles-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2017industrial, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Industrial scale solar heat in South Africa: Opportunities in agri-processing and textiles}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2017}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Industrial-Scale-Solar-Heat-in-South-Africa-opportunities-in-agri-processing-and-textiles-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }