SA's renewable energy market
October 2009
News
Southern Africa set for a flood of renewable energy projects according to Frost & Sullivan.
Despite the considerable potential that exists to produce electricity using renewable energy (RE) in southern Africa, RE projects have been largely limited to off-grid, small-scale applications. However, the renewable energy market in South Africa is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years, owing to the announcement of the renewable energy feed-in tariff made in March 2009.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.energy.frost.com) finds that the market for renewable energy equipment in southern Africa earned revenues of $28,4 million in 2008 and estimates this to increase nearly tenfold by 2015, to reach $262,3 million. This will include projects to develop energy from solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind power and biomass sources.
“The growth of the wind power market and large-scale solar concentrating projects will be driven by an increasing number of joint ventures,” notes Frost & Sullivan energy analyst Sipha Ndawonde. “Such ventures will be between project developers with local knowledge and private equity investment firms, backed by the support of international original equipment manufacturers.
With tightening sources of global credit and more countries reporting negative economic growth rates, private equity investment companies have become more selective and strategic about the sectors into which they invest. Sustainable energy project portfolios have however bulged to more than $1 billion, dedicated to financing RE projects in southern Africa.
“This is an indication that investors view RE and energy efficiency projects in southern Africa as having favourable returns and representing a solid investment decision,” Ndawonde says. “An abundance of natural resources combined with a stable political environment, reasonable economic growth rates and growing interest from private equity firms means that large-scale RE projects are set to penetrate into the southern African countries of South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.”
Southern African Renewable Energy Equipment Market is part of the Energy & Power Growth Partnership Service programme.
For more information contact Patrick Cairns, Frost & Sullivan, +27 (0)18 468 2315, patrick.cairns@frost.com, www.frost.com
Further reading:
RS South Africa retains Level 2 B-BBEE status
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa has once again achieved Level 2 B-BBEE verification.
Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE unveils world class facility in Gqeberha
News
In a landmark event in the Eastern Cape attended by key customers and industry leaders, SEW-EURODRIVE officially opened its expanded state-of-the-art facility in Gqeberha, marking a major milestone in its strategy to strengthen regional support and deepen its footprint in the region.
Read more...
Africa’s brightest young battery innovators
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric and Enactus, the international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, have announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. It empowers young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges.
Read more...
Africa’s strategic role in powering the global clean energy future
News
The 2026 Africa Energy Indaba is to spotlight Africa’s mineral wealth, industrialisation potential and the urgent need for sustainable value chain development.
Read more...
The road to the Indaba
News
The Africa Automation Indaba 2026 is set to become a landmark gathering for Africa’s automation, process control and manufacturing community.
SA Instrumentation and Control will be running a dedicated editorial series spotlighting the voices, ideas and debates shaping Africa’s industrial future.
Read more...
Crash reconstruction tests advance vehicle safety research
News
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technologies (SMART) Lab recently participated in a series of collaborative crash reconstruction tests held at the Toyota Test Track.
Read more...
Siemens and HD Hyundai to accelerate revitalisation of USA shipbuilding
News
Siemens Digital Industries Software has signed a memorandum of understanding with HD Hyundai to drive the revitalisation and modernisation of the commercial shipbuilding industry in the USA.
Read more...
SKF launches the Patent Bay
SKF South Africa
News
SKF is launching The Patent Bay, a new platform open to companies that aim to accelerate technologies with the potential to advance sustainability, by making selected patents freely available to others.
Read more...
SAIMC Zambia
SAIMC
SAIMC News
SAIMC Zambia marked its 21st anniversary with the annual SAIMC Banquet, held on 29 November 2025 at Mukwa Lodge in Kitwe, Zambia.
Read more...
Accelerating Africa’s smart manufacturing future
News
Automation Day, a dedicated one-day conference within the Manufacturing Indaba 2026, will bring together industry leaders, innovators and policymakers for an in-depth exploration of how automation is reshaping Africa’s manufacturing landscape.
Read more...
printer friendly version