According to the US Department of Energy, every day the earth receives enough solar energy to meet global electricity demands for 30 years. While the climate emergency puts the world under stress, solutions do exist to transition to a low-carbon future.
The Northern Cape has been dubbed South Africa’s “green hub” because of its numerous solar installations, both CSP and photovoltaic (PV) plants. The province has some of the world’s highest levels of solar radiation — and plenty of space to spare. José Cayuela, Khi’s General Manager, described it as, “a perfect area for solar technology.”
Jobs are of vital importance in a country like South Africa with an unemployment rate exceeding 30 percent. A lot of attention nationally and locally is focused on creating decent work and ensuring that any transition to renewable energy is socially inclusive.
So more good news comes from the contributions the plants have made to local communities. “The impact has been massive,” said Van Rooyen, pointing to a corporate social responsibility program that has already benefited more than 5,000 people.
The construction of the plants generated thousands of jobs, mostly for local people. And, once the structures were finished, additional employment opportunities became available. The plants continue to offer internships that often lead to full-time work.
Cecil Motlanke, a plant supervisor at Khi, started as an intern four years ago. He sees the plants as a source of deep hope, inspiring local youth to pursue careers in engineering and other fields. “When I got this opportunity, I was so excited, because all of a sudden, there was hope, not just for myself but for the people of the surrounding communities,” he said.
Shamilla Beukes is an electrical intern at KaXu. In Pofadder, where she grew up, her dream was to work in a mine. That changed when the plants were built, and now she’s much happier. “Working at a renewable plant is much better for me, because here I’m not underground like in a mine,” she reflected. “I’m breathing fresh air every day. I don’t have to worry about any fumes.”
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on “just transitions” in South Africa, a concept that underscores the need to achieve necessary changes for sustainable development in a manner that protects workers and communities, and ensures equitable distribution of benefits and risks. CIF is working to develop a broader understanding of such transitions to ensure that it continues to contribute to reducing climate change while enhancing socio-economic progress.
Eathan Syster, a plant engineer at Xina, also started as an intern. From a young age, Syster was intrigued by renewable energy. Today, he is excited by the jobs and other opportunities offered by the plants. “The future in renewable energy for me is very bright,” he said. While concerned about climate change, he also feels satisfied to be taking action to tackle it: “I think it’s our duty and our responsibility to preserve nature for future generations.”
Today, through social development programs , Xina, KaXu, and Khiare already caring for future generations, starting from elementary school. The programs address social welfare, enterprise development, infrastructure and education , with the last as a clear priority.
They are funded through a 1% allocation of revenue from the solar plants as part of a national private renewable energy policy. In fact, since 2011, South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme has required independent power producers to reinvest in local communities within 50 kilometers of a project site as a core aspect of each project’s design and approval.
As I drive towards the community of Onseepkans, I learn about the many challenges faced by the local communities. I’m accompanied by Greg March, the economic development officer with Atlantica Yield, one of the private infrastructure companies involved in the plants, and Karl Koetzee, responsible for SEED+, the social development program run by Abengoa.
“Our main focus is on education, due to the lack of quality education in our region, because once you have a proper system, everything falls into place,” Koetzee explained.
The program supports 3,000 children, including 150 in Onseepkans, where they work in tandem with the Ramon Medina Arce Foundation. Activities include community and school gardens, which encourage sound agricultural practices, and measures to harness precious water from the Orange River to grow fruit and vegetables.
Every day, local women convene at a community kitchen to prepare a daily meal for a children’s after class. This is often the only proper meal available for children from the most disadvantaged families. Once fed, the students start afterschool activities, such as extra classes in English, math, dance, sports, music, and traditional languages, such as San (the language of the Khoi San people) and indigenous Nama (the original Namakwa language).
Every day, local women convene at a community kitchen to prepare a daily meal for a children’s after class. This is often the only proper meal available for children from the most disadvantaged families. Once fed, the students start afterschool activities, such as extra classes in English, math, dance, sports, music, and traditional languages, such as San (the language of the Khoi San people) and indigenous Nama (the original Namakwa language).
Many children eagerly embrace a newfound interest in studying, like 17-year-old Tiffany, who is in high school and wants to become a physiotherapist. She knows that even if her family cannot support her through higher education, the social development program can. For those who gain entry to university, a scholarship program generously covers all expenses, including tuition, books, and accommodation. Students can even send some money back home if they save enough.
That’s what Othmar Vorster and Bradley Joseph do. Coming from small towns in the Northern Cape, they now study in Cape Town, one at the University of Western Cape, and the other at the nearby Stellenbosch University. The scholarship fundamentally changed their lives.
For Bradley, the first in his family to attend university, the plants brought about big changes for youth in Pella, his hometown. He describes a time when, “a lot of young people who left school started using drugs.” Today, since the arrival of solar plants, many have sought and obtained jobs. “A lot changed and they aren’t using drugs anymore,” said Bradley.
As Othmar put it, “The solar plants in my region represent growth and new ventures.”
Bradley is aware of the difference the plants have made. He plans to go back to Pella once he completes his studies: “I feel that I want to teach there,” he said, “There is such a big need for help at home.”
Regular incomes have helped families financially and socially. That was the idea behind locating the projects in rural, remote, often poor areas, according to José Cayuela: “One of the commitments from the beginning was to produce the highest impact in local communities.”
The future is also very much on Cayuela’s mind. He is a strong supporter of renewable energy, believing it helps developing countries produce energy cheaply and widely, while improving life for their people and reducing inequalities. He considers the South African experience a successful model of collaboration between the private sector, the government and investment funds, one that has opened markets and expanded the use of new technologies.
“At Abengoa , we see batteries as the next frontier", he emphasized. Indeed, the energy storage they provide can address the intermittency of renewable energy sources.
Funds such as CIF are instrumental in unlocking low-carbon markets. When I stop and look back at the week I spent in the Northern Cape, I see how economic growth can be aligned with environmental protection, and energy production with human needs. The experience affirms that we can respond to increased energy needs with climate-smart solutions.
With many current production systems and ways of living becoming increasingly unsustainable, there is simply no alternative but to accelerate and scale-up solutions to reverse the trend. Otherwise, the failure to act is rapidly taking us to a point of no return, where the planet and its people will suffer immensely.
That worries Petunia Zondo, Deputy Operations Manager at Khi, who has been concerned about climate change since she was a child. Today, she hopes the environment she grew up in will still be around for her own kids. She is proud to work in renewable energy and happy that her work has inspired young people, who often now come to her for mentorship. “Work was very scarce in the area, and people didn’t have a choice but to move to Johannesburg or Cape Town to find a job,” she said. But now, “these plants bring a lot of opportunities that we never had before.”
These plants are also foundations for a sustainable future that we can build globally, because, as Van Rooyen noted, “We cannot forget why we started originally with renewable energies. It was not just to create jobs. It was for the protection of our environment and the world our children are going to live in one day.”
Back in Upington, I feel like I have walked along a perfect circle. Clean power, education, internships, jobs… Hope.
I started off mesmerized by the fruits of human ingenuity: clean power coming straight from the scorching sun. I walked along children getting an education, from the youngest to the brightest attending university with a full scholarship. I was energized by the enthusiasm of the apprentices, glad to be out in the open, rather than in a mine. And then finally inspired by meeting the engineers who mentor.
Somehow, the 2030 Agenda’s motto, “leave no one behind”, has a more concrete sense for me today, which leaves me with a question: Now that we know the way forward, what are we waiting for?
Amount | Unit | |
---|---|---|
Total amount of green energy produced | 850 | GWh/year |
Total CO2 emission reduced | 800000 | MT CO2e/year |
Total staff employed | 300 | |
Total staff employed female | 50 | |
Total staff employed from local communities | 100 | |
Total investment back into the community | 35 | MZAR/year |
Number of people benefitted by the project in local communities | 5000 | |
Number of children supported within the community | 3000 | |
Number of scholarships within the communities | 20 | |
Number of internships within the community | 18 | Per year |
*Source: Xina, Kaxu, and Khi