South Africa’s commitment to renewable energy is paying off in a significant way, the ability to use renewable energy resources instead of fuel has led to a savings of $310 million in H1 2015 that would otherwise have been spent on fuel. Not only did the country save a good bit of its budget, but according to a study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) it helped to avoid some rolling blackouts the country is prone to.
The CSIR report said that during H1, 800 MW of wind and 1 GW of solar PV power-generation saved about 3.6 billion rand in diesel and coal-fuel costs. Renewables either prevented or limited rolling blackouts during 15 days during the period.
With renewable power saving about 200 hours of unserved energy and fuel, it generated more in financial benefits than it cost, according to the study. The CSIR has developed a methodology “to determine whether at any given hour of the year, renewables have replaced coal or diesel generators or whether they have even prevented so-called ‘unserved energy’,” Tobias Bischof-Niemz, who heads up its energy center, said in a statement.