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dam-l Solar in South Africa/LS
>From the Sept. 12 Environment News Service web site:
Solar Power to Serve Rural South Africa
By Arend Hoogervorst
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 8, 1998 (ENS)
- The South African
national electricity utility, Eskom, and Shell
International Renewables, the renewable
energy subsidiary of Shell, Tuesday launched a
R130 million solar power project to
provide electricity to 50,000 rural households in
South Africa over the next two years.
The system consists of a solar panel, a
charge-controlled battery and a security and
metering unit. The system is able to power four
lights and a black and white TV for six
hours. It could power two lights for four hours
or a portable radio for twelve hours.
Customers will pay about R180 (about US$30) for
the installation of the home solar
system (worth R5,100 (US$864) and R48 (US$8) for
a monthly fee which will
provide a magnetic card storing power credit for
30 days and cover maintenance and
other costs.
The initiative forms a part of Shell's $500
million investment in renewable energy
resources. Willem-Jan van Wijk, director of
Shell's solar power division, said that the
company aims to capture around 20 percent of the
international commercial market for
rural solar electricity systems, worth an
estimated $1.1 billion, over the next five years.
He said that although solar costs are higher than
grid-supplied electricity, they compare
favourably with the costs of alternative non-grid
power supplies such as candles,
paraffin or petrol-powered generators.
"This is the largest commercial, solar rural
electrification project ever. At a local level,
it will provide considerable opportunities for
local communities through job creation,
education, entertainment and brings with it power
supply that is superior in terms of
quality, health and safety." Wijk said.
Of the 8.6 million homes in South Africa, only an
estimated 2.75 million, roughly 32
percent, had access to electricity in 1990. Eskom
is currently involved in a major
electrification programme as a part of the
Government's GEAR (Growth, Employment
and Redistribution) policy and will have
increased the number to 67 percent by the end
of this year.
The new solar power system augments the difficult
problem of supplying electricity in
rural areas. Since 1991, Eskom has assisted in
the electrification of 1,340 schools, and
100 rural clinics using solar, wind and
micro-hydro power alternatives to the grid
supply.
Jan de Beer, Eskom executive director technology,
said, "Bringing affordable electrical
energy to people living in remote areas is an
important factor in the economic revival of
Africa."
South Africa's Minister of Minerals and Energy,
Penuell Maduna, who was present at
the launch said the project will have many
additional benefits including the provision of
technology based jobs and the facilitation of
skills development.
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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