Transitioning to Renewable Energy
At the end of March 2022, the African Development Bank (AfDB) made some clear statements about how it plans to support South Africa’s transition towards a more sustainable future.
The bank recently confirmed that it will be supporting the country’s green energy initiatives, investing $400,000 in the move away from fossil fuels. The AfDB investment will help with the essential maintenance of coal plants, ensuring old ones are fit for use, which will create new jobs in at-risk communities.
Various global energy companies have also pledged financial support. R 463 million comes from Bio2Watt and R 43 billion from Seraphim in China. Norwegian renewable energy organisation Scatec has also promised R 16 billion. This particular investment will support the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme in Northern Cape, funding solar PV and storage projects in the area.
Other notable financial support comes from the European Union’s generous offer of $8.5 billion, which makes a significant contribution to the $27 billion goal.
This funding is so important to the country’s development for many reasons. Investments ensure South Africa does not fall into debt in the process of solving the energy crisis, while new jobs will boost the economy.
So, has this pushed us closer to fully transitioning to renewable energy?
Leaving coal behind
Load shedding continues to take place across South Africa, meaning electricity is still intermittent and unpredictable. And for some time, solar power has been considered the solution. However, progress has largely been halted due to insufficient funding.
Eksom has struggled to dedicate enough capital towards sustainable energy infrastructure and supplies, as the power utility has instead needed to cover the costly expense of regularly maintaining its coal power plants. Plant inefficiency exacerbates the pre-existing energy supply issues, in which stations are regularly taken offline and expensive diesel used as fuel. This costly procedure, though inconvenient, is currently necessary.
The recent rise in lithium prices has also led to batteries becoming more expensive. Batteries are essential to providing continuous power, as the stored energy is used during grid failure or winter months. As such, these increased prices are a considerable obstacle to the widespread uptake of solar power.
The funding pledged by AfDB towards utility-scale renewable energy is, therefore, likely to bring the country further towards our energy goals. But what about the commercial and residential markets?
Unlocking potential with Pylontech batteries
Pylontech is a leading solar manufacturer with a variety of high-quality energy storage solutions for all types of installations. Smart product design also helps you get the most out of your products, making for an all-round cost-effective system.
The Pylontech residential range features high-performance battery packs, like the US2000C and US3000C. These batteries both boast an impressive 95% depth of discharge that ensures maximum efficiency. The 48V UP5000 is a slightly larger alternative to these batteries and can be paralleled up to 16 units.
For commercial PV systems, the Pylontech PowerCube H2 is the go-to modular and scalable battery. It can be expanded to include up to 18 modules per rack, and six racks in a parallel, meaning it is suitable for a range of system sizes — rack mounted or container based. When storing your high-voltage batteries, we recommend the Pylontech PowerTower with a lockable door kit for enhanced security.
Each of Pylontech’s batteries benefit from a high safety value to protect the system from charge, current and temperature abnormalities, meaning no unexpected replacement costs.
When you buy Pylontech products using our Kit Builder tool on the portal, we also help to protect you from market volatility with our 30-day price fix, allowing customers to lock in their quote as soon as they receive it.
Ready to make your transition to renewable energy? Browse Pylontech products in the portal today.