Wind Energy Country Analyses South Africa

Wind energy potential

In the past, a few high-level wind resource studies were carried out, e. g. a study by Roseanne Diab in 1995 and the South African Renewable Energy Resource Database (SARERD) compiled by DME / Eskom / CSIR in 2001.69 All of these studies were based on data from meteorological stations measured at a height of 10 m and (as in the case of SARERD) extrapolated with the help of software programmes to surrounding areas. Hence, the resulting data on the South African wind regime are not very reliable. Concluding from the studies, the potential for wind energy can be defined as very good, especially in the long coastal strip and inland escarpments. Provinces with the best wind energy potential are Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The estimated average annual wind speed at 10m is 6 m/s (http://www. crses.sun.ac.za/pdfs/Hagemann.pdf ). Evaluating and reassessing existing studies in 2003, a South African renewable energy strategy formulation team from the Department of Minerals and Energy estimated the total wind generation potential to be 60 TWh per annum. Adopting a conservative approach to land availability, of the 410 000 km2 exposed to wind speeds of more than 6.5 m.s-1, they assumed that only 1 174 km2 could be allocated to wind farms. Even in these allocated areas, the turbines themselves would only take up about 1 to 2 percent of the land area, equivalent to about 0.003 % of the total resource area, with normal farming continuing under and around the turbines.70 For the Western Cape Province, the following wind resource category areas where identified, showing a significant land area with excellent wind speeds of more than 8 m/s. Since these early weather station based studies, state-ofthe art assessments have been undertaken by private companies that are not in public domain. In order to close this gap, the GEF-financed South African Wind Energy Programme with the help of the Technical University of Denmark (RISØ) embarked on the elaboration of a meso-scale wind atlas based on computer simulations and calibrated by real wind measurements in strategic locations. The project started in November 2008 and will be completed in December 2012. Row data will be published consecutively on a website to be specified; once finalized, the wind atlas will be in public domain. In 2009, GTZ's TERNA Wind Energy Programme in cooperation with the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) and Eskom carried out a technical study aiming inter alia at analysing the effects of integration of wind energy on the transmission grid. The preliminary results of the study reveal that at least 2 800 MW of wind power can be integrated in the existing transmission grid. With a very good wind regime and sufficient back-up capacity provided by existing gas-fired power plants, this makes the province an excellent location for large-scale wind energy utilization.71

Framework Conditions for Wind Energy

Goals

In the White Paper on renewable energy (2003), the South African government targets 10 000 GWh renewable energy contribution to final energy consumption by 2013. The South African government has planned through the White Paper (2003) to implement 100 MW of wind farms across the country by March 201072, to be later expanded to 200 MW, but the utility Eskom has delayed awarding the tender. The government states it plans to have independent power producers supply 400 MW of wind power in the next three years.73 However, these figures are no official, binding targets.

Permission procedure

As of now there is no specific permission procedure for wind energy projects, which means guidelines described in chapter on framework conditions for renewable energies apply.

Grid expansion plans

As part of the expansion programme up to 2026, ESKOM introduced a strengthening of the transmission system to meet rising electricity demand. The strengthening of the transmission system into the Cape has been ongoing for some time. Since 2002, work has been done on strengthening the North-of-Hydra part of the system which the lines are coming into the major Hydra Substation at De Aar in central South Africa. Work is currently being undertaken on the South of-Hydra part of the system and the Southern Cape grid. In the main corridor between the Free State and the Western Cape, installations of 400 kV capacitor banks are currently under way. The expected completion date of all this work is mid-2007. Additional activities aimed at reducing losses and increasing transfer capacity is already under way. The next phase will include the Cape project entailing the building of an additional 1 450 km of 765 kV power lines to strengthen the existing system. The line runs from Zeus in Mpumalanga to the new Omega substation in Cape Town and entails an R 6.3 billion investment. In terms of the current schedules, the proposed infrastructure is expected to be in service by 2010. Beyond the immediate transmission infrastructure plans, various options are being considered to further strengthen the transmission grid through the implementation of 765 kV reinforcements and possibly through the introduction of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) into the Cape network. These plans, however, need to be developed in an integrated manner, taking into account possible new generation options for the Cape networks. Eskom’s other transmission strengthening projects include:

• Platinum Basin - Expansions include the development

of a new transmission line and three new substations in Brits, Steelpoort and Rustenburg. Construction of the Apollo-Dinaledi line is underway.

• Eastern Cape (Southern grid) – Project entails the

construction of a new 407 km 400 kV line between Beta and Delphi substations, expansion to Grassridge substation and installation of an additional 400 / 132 kV, 500 MVA transformer.

• Vaal Triangle - Project improving backup supply with

the best technical and economical solution to problems in the Vaal Triangle area.

• KwaZulu-Natal - Expansions, expected to be approved

in 2007, will include the construction of a 200 km 765 kV line, to be run at 400 kV, between Majuba Power Station and Umfolozi substation.

• Johannesburg North - Construction on the substation is

complete and provides 400 kV in-feed to the network, which strengthens the network supplying the area.74

Current use of Wind Energy and Project Pipeline

In 2009, the installed capacity of wind energy accounts for 8.4 MW (end of 2008).75 South Africa is still at a pilot or demonstration stage and has implemented two projects listed in table 13.