Is solar SA’s energy crisis solution?

WITH doom and gloom dominating conversations on the energy crisis, representatives from local solar energy companies, climate finance platforms and the government gathered to discuss how this crisis could be used to harness South Africa’s potential to become one of the biggest producers of energy in the world.

Representatives also delved into how the solar power industry was coping with the rapid increase in demand being experienced in Cape Town, and the knock-on effects that harnessing solar power, amid the energy crisis, could have on job creation, the environment and growth in other sectors.

A panel discussion on these matters was held with DA spokesperson on energy Kevin Mileham; Tyger Geldenhuis, CEO of local solar PV company Trust Solar; Adrian Won, founder of Senken, the climate finance trading platform of on-chain carbon credits; Ahren Posthumus, the CEO of local tech start-up Momint and SunCash.

The event was moderated by Kieno Kammies, co-founder of Innovation City, which played host to the platform where solutions to challenges society faces today could be shared.

All panellists believe that there is enough solar potential in SA to power the world, if only they could build the infrastructure for the required storage facilities and create the right regulatory environment.

On the challenges with local solar uptake, Geldenhuis said: “There’s a lot of red tape we have to go through; it can take months before we get approvals to feed into the grid from factories.”

Posthumus said Momint had developed the SunCash initiative, seeking to solve South Africa’s energy crisis by making investment into solar power accessible to all South Africans.

“You can now purchase solar cells for as little as R150 and sell that solar energy to public institutions through an automated transaction. Earn a passive income and help us keep South Africa’s lights on,” Posthumus said.

Also in attendance was MP Traverse Le Goff, a member of the parliamentary portfolio committee for mineral resources and energy, who believes South Africa is on the cusp of a renewable energy revolution.

“Thanks to our abundance of sunlight, we can consign load shedding to history and also create millions of well-paying green jobs,” Le Goff said.