Utility-scale renewable energy – 2017 Market Intelligence Report

The report assesses the South African utility-scale renewable energy sector, primarily driven by the REIPPPP. It highlights the programme's success in procuring over 6,300 MWp of capacity and attracting R194 billion in investment. The document details the role of government policies, the shift toward competitive tariffs for wind and solar PV, and the strategic importance of local content and socio-economic development. It also identifies opportunities for municipal power procurement and the development of green technology hubs, specifically in the Western Cape.

• The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) has procured over 6,300 MWp of renewable energy generation capacity, with more than 2,500 MWp already connected to the national grid as of June 2016.
• The REIPPPP has attracted over R194 billion in total investment as of June 2016, consisting of R141 billion in domestic investment and R53 billion from foreign investors.
• Renewable energy tariffs in South Africa have seen significant reductions since the first bid window; solar PV prices fell by 75% and wind energy prices by 49% from Round 1 to Round 4B.
• A ministerial determination in Q4 2015 allocated an additional 6.3 GWp of generation capacity for procurement, effectively doubling the programme's previous capacity.
• The REIPPPP contributes to the National Development Plan (NDP) by supporting ten of the 14 national outcomes, specifically targeting an increase in electricity generation reserve margins to 19% by 2019.
• Local content requirements have stimulated a domestic manufacturing sector, with a projected local spend of approximately R66 billion, of which over R32 billion has already been reported from projects in construction and operation.
• There is a significant emerging market opportunity for local municipalities to procure electricity directly from independent power producers, though this requires a specific ministerial determination.
• The Western Cape is positioning itself as Africa's green economy hub, with the proposed Atlantis GreenTech Special Economic Zone (SEZ) attracting R680 million in investments and projecting a further R1 billion over five years.
• The South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) was established at the Cape Peninsular University of Technology to provide accredited training for wind and solar technicians to meet the long-term O&M needs of REIPPPP projects.

APA

GreenCape (2017). Utility-scale renewable energy – 2017 Market Intelligence Report. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Renewable-Energy-MIR-2017-electronic-FINAL-v1-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Utility-scale renewable energy – 2017 Market Intelligence Report. 2017. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Renewable-Energy-MIR-2017-electronic-FINAL-v1-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Utility-scale renewable energy – 2017 Market Intelligence Report |date=2017 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Renewable-Energy-MIR-2017-electronic-FINAL-v1-3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2017utilityscale, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Utility-scale renewable energy – 2017 Market Intelligence Report}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2017}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Renewable-Energy-MIR-2017-electronic-FINAL-v1-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }