Amid the escalating need for sustainability practices across various industries, solar power is poised to play a key role in securing long-term, sustainable solutions for South Africa, not only for energy security, but also to help mitigate climate change impacts.

This is the focus of residential solar energy company GoSolr’s third quarterly Light Paper, released on October 22, which sheds light on how renewable-energy options are a growing concern for consumers and businesses.

The report details that, while the uptake of solar energy was initially driven by loadshedding, decision-making in this regard is now being driven by cost savings, adding that the desire for more sustainable energy solutions is emerging.

During the launch, CEO Andrew Middleton pointed out that South Africa is responsible for about 30% of total carbon emissions in Africa, noting the extreme weather patterns experienced in the country recently, such as flooding, which have emerged as a result of climate change.

In a media release, GoSolr noted that while the move towards sustainability could pose challenges for businesses, it was becoming clearer that this transition was not just an environmental imperative, but also made “good business sense”.

As Africa’s largest carbon emitter, GoSolr argued that South Africa had a pivotal role to play in the global fight against climate change, noting that, at the Climate Resilience Symposium in August, President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed the country’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

However, the company noted that the country’s grid capacity remained a significant bottleneck, making it difficult to accommodate the influx of renewable-energy sources.

Middleton argued that, to achieve net-zero goals by 2050, South Africa needed to diversify its renewable sources, decentralise the grid and democratise.

According to the Light Paper, 162.1 MW of new rooftop solar capacity was added during the third quarter of this year, 267.4 MW less than in the third quarter of 2023. Solar made up about 6.2% of South Africa’s energy mix, and coal 85.3%, GoSolr noted.

Additionally, the report explained that South Africa planned to more than double its current grid-scale renewable-energy capacity over the next decade.

It noted that, according to a survey by State-owned utility Eskom, the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association and the South African Wind Energy Association, South Africa’s pipeline of planned grid-scale renewable-energy projects had surged to 134 GW over the next decade.

Standalone solar projects account for 56 GW of the pipeline, while hybrid solar-plus-battery-storage comprises another 18 GW.

The report also indicated that South Africa’s large-scale renewables, energy storage and component manufacturing market would be worth about R468-billion by 2030.

Hence, despite solar installations having contracted in the third quarter, Middleton said the “future is still very bright for solar.”

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To help mitigate the effects of climate change, the report noted that South Africa was taking a multipronged approach, which included carbon taxes.

Further, the country had also introduced regulatory changes, such as the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Act which was signed into law in August.

“The ERA is an essential piece of legislation that democratises energy production in South Africa, which is cause for optimism. We expect to see more movement on the ground by IPPs. As we look forward to this optimistic future, several bright lights are already twinkling,” the report stated.

Other key findings of the report included its mention of solar energy as the fastest-growing source of electricity generation globally, adding more than twice as much new electricity to the grid as coal in 2023.

The report also mentioned that more South African municipalities were allowing small-scale embedded generation to support the shift to solar.

“As we approach COP29, it is important to remember that sustainability is not just a year-end focus, but rather a year-round commitment,” the company says in the report.