Are we on track for a fossil-fuel-free future?
With the climate crisis constantly worsening, and pressure for nations to up their efforts to move towards more ambitious net-zero targets, fossil fuels are being phased out across the world in favour of low-emission, renewable alternatives.
And although plenty of positive progress has been made in recent years, and we do feel optimistic about the global energy future, there is no denying that fossil fuels are still very much around.
But just how much progress needs to be made before we reach a fossil-free future, and how do solar products from innovative, environmentally conscious brands like REVOV come into it all?
Phasing out fossil fuels
To get an idea of the current status of fossil fuels around the world, we only need to look at the energy crisis that has swept across the world since the emergence of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Oil and gas companies have been raking in record-breaking profits since the war began, with an imbalance in supply and demand enabling them to charge desperate customers more for petrol and electricity. For example, in February 2023, Shell announced profits of $39.9 billion (ZAR 73.5 billion) — the highest it had ever witnessed in its 115-year history.
However, the grip fossil fuels have on global economies is not black and white. The World Energy Outlook 2022 from the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that, although demand for fossil fuels is at its peak now, they will make up less than 75% of the global energy mix by 2030 — and around 60% by 2030.
This decline can be attributed to the growth of renewable alternatives to traditional power supplies, with the latest International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) figures showing that renewable energy capacity hit 3,371,793MW globally and 10,445MW in South Africa in 2022. As for solar power in particular, the figures are equally impressive — 1,053,115W for the world and 6,326MW for South Africa.
Renewable capacity could rise even higher in South Africa in the near future, too, as the country invests in various large-scale PV projects. For example, a 60MW ‘solar-plus-storage’ programme protecting Cape Town from load shedding entered planning in April 2023, as part of a 500MW renewable energy procurement from independent power producers (IPP).
So, there is hope that whilst fossil fuels and renewables must coexist for now, a future where the latter takes the lead is possible. Still, there is a long way to go before we go fossil-free…
Turning to carbon-conscious solutions
As it stands, renewables are not being implemented quickly enough to overtake fossil fuels. As such, organisations around the world are encouraging leaders to ramp up their efforts to swap coal, oil and gas for solar — especially in sunny countries like South Africa.
Home and business owners do not need to put up with costly, unreliable supplies whilst we wait for global leaders to make the transition, though. There are countless solar product manufacturers working to ensure populations have access to their own PV systems — and REVOV is one of them.
REVOV is an energy storage solution expert offering a selection of lithium-ion batteries that set out to target South Africa’s primary energy concerns: the insecurity of the national grid and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions.
This manufacturer is known for its ‘2nd LiFe’ batteries, which are repurposed from first-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries and built with top-of-the-range lithium-ion phosphate (LiFePO4) technology, for increased power outputs, faster charging and longer lifetimes.
We proudly stock a selection of REVOV’s 2nd LiFe batteries, including the R9 and R100 models, which are suitable for off-grid, backup and self-consumption systems.
These batteries offer a series of attractive features, including a parallel capability of up to 16 units, which enables the system to be expanded to meet more demanding energy requirements, and a 100% maximum depth of discharge (DoD) for optimum efficiency.
With a much lower carbon footprint and a lower cost than traditional PV batteries, REVOV’s innovative products are the PV solutions of the future — giving you the power to get the most out of your solar energy supply and gain energy freedom today.
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