{"id":46865,"date":"2022-07-26T17:07:08","date_gmt":"2022-07-26T16:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=46865"},"modified":"2022-07-26T17:13:58","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T16:13:58","slug":"south-africa-turns-to-renewables-gas-and-batteries-to-end-power-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2022\/07\/26\/south-africa-turns-to-renewables-gas-and-batteries-to-end-power-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa turns to renewables, gas and batteries to end power cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to end the country’s frequent electricity black-outs by mobilising investment in renewables, gas and batteries.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a prime-time address to the nation<\/a> on Monday, Ramaphosa said: “After more than a decade without reliable electricity supply, South Africans are justifiably frustrated and angry. They are fed up.”<\/p>\n

Ramaphosa blamed the power cuts on the country’s old and unreliable coal power plants, on the “design flaws” in two new coal power plants and on “extensive theft, fraud and sabotage” and “years of state capture and mismanagement” under his predecessor Jacob Zuma.<\/p>\n

After talking to trade unions, business, experts and opposition parties, Ramaphosa said he planned to fix the black-outs by improving the existing power plants, encouraging investment in renewables, flexible gas generators and battery storage and enabling businesses and households to sell rooftop solar to the grid.<\/p>\n