Skip to main content
MIT
Climate
Search

Main navigation

  • Climate 101
    • What We Know
    • What Can Be Done
    • Climate Primer
  • Explore
    • Explainers
    • Ask MIT Climate
    • Podcast
  • MIT Action
    • News
    • Events
    • Resources
  • Search

Main navigation

  • Climate 101
    • What We Know
    • What Can Be Done
    • Climate Primer
  • Explore
    • Explainers
    • Ask MIT Climate
    • Podcast
  • MIT Action
    • News
    • Events
    • Resources
  • Search
PostApril 29, 2021

Cape Town fights for energy independence

Greetings from Cape Town Postcard with offshore wind turbines

As renewable energy gets cheaper, South African cities such as Cape Town have demanded the right to find their own sources. 

The primary culprit in South Africa’s power woes is the aging national electricity provider, Eskom. After years of mismanagement of state funds earmarked for critical infrastructure repairs, Eskom’s plants are regularly unable to operate at full capacity. The result is rolling blackouts that last from two to six hours per day. The power cuts have proved disastrous for the economy, with costs estimated at between $4 billion and $8 billion in 2019. 

That year, desperate to find a solution, Cape Town announced plans to purchase its own power from independent renewable-power producers. The falling cost and exponential growth of renewable-energy technology have made this possible. Amazon recently announced it will build its own solar farm to power its data centers in South Africa, thereby insulating itself from outages on the national grid. If companies can do it, why can’t cities?

Read the full article at: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/04/28/1022945/cape-town-renewable-energy-independence-south-africa/

Image by: Nico Ortega

Share
facebook linkedin twitter email compact
by MIT Technology Review
Topics
Cities & Planning
Energy
Electrification
Renewable Energy
Government & Policy

Related Posts

PostOctober 26, 2022

News Electricity Retail Rate Design in a Decarbonizing Economy: An Analysis...

MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research
PostOctober 20, 2022

Billions in funding could kick-start the US battery materials industry

MIT Technology Review
PostOctober 19, 2022

2022 C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium & Awards

MIT Energy Initiative
PostOctober 18, 2022

Rational Rationing: A Price-Control Mechanism for a Persistent Supply Shock...

MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research

MIT Climate News in Your Inbox

 
 

MIT Groups Log In

Log In

Footer

  • About
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Contact
Environmental Solutions Initiative
MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge MA 02139-4307
Communicator Award Winner
Communicator Award Winner