It is an impressive amount, considering the developing country’s almost standing start back in 2011, when the government launched its competitive tender market. This series of auctions, coupled with decent wind speeds along the east and west coasts, has enabled wind power to become cheaper than newbuild coal, the fuel that has traditionally dominated the nation’s energy mix.
Johan van den Berg, chief executive of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA), says that the key to the success of the bidding system has been the strong built-in safeguards “to make sure people don’t bid at cowboy prices and then the capacity doesn’t get built”.
These
