Cape Town, Namibia answer Ramaphosa's call

Africa starts to embrace green energy alternatives

- By Staff reporter, ESG Now

As President Cyril Ramaphosa insisted that green energy would be a major discussion item at the G20 Leaders' Summit he is chairing today, the recent actions taken by Namibia and Cape Town to implement his proposals would likely please him.

NamPower, Namibia's national electricity utility, recently issued a tender for six independent power producer solar projects, each with a capacity of 20 MW, totalling 120 MW of new solar generation. This move not only advances the country's energy transition but also signals a growing commitment to renewable energy development.

Down south, in Cape Town, the city started generating electricity from one of its largest landfills, marking a notable moment for South Africa's slow-rising waste-to-energy sector.

The new landfill gas-to-electricity plant at Coastal Park, launched last month, converts methane from decomposing waste into power. The R93-million facility produces around 1.3-million kWh a month, which flows into the municipal grid to supply about 4300 households.

From an environmental perspective, these moves represent a tangible step in the continent's scaling up of its clean energy capacity.