South Africa’s energy crisis has resulted in 2022 being the most intensive load-shedding year to date. According to data from South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Eskom cut 2276 GW of electricity in the first six months of 2022, setting the country on track to double the amount of load-shedding experienced in 2021. By October, South Africans had experienced a total of 2088 hours (86 days’ worth) of load-shedding.
Private and public stakeholders need to work together to help define the right policy frameworks to accelerate South African’s energy transition effectively, and efficiently.
At Siemens Gamesa we believe it is imperative to play an active leadership role in industry-related organisations and programmes that are working towards a just and green energy future, such as the South African Wind Association (SAWEA) and the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) launched by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).
Strategic investments in wind and solar farms could ensure a sustainable future for South Africa, and the continent at large. A 2022 study from the Environmental Change Institute, at the University of Oxford revealed that South Africa and Egypt currently provide the most favourable sites for renewable investment in Africa. The report stated that windfarms in optimum locations in South Africa would cost the country 16,7% less per unit of energy than if it were to build more coal power plants.
South Africa’s high wind speeds — 12 m/s at 100 m height at the best sites, but on average 7,5 to 8m/s —offer very favourable conditions for wind installations, particularly along the coastlines.
Siemens Gamesa is a leading member of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) and one of our executives is a member of the SAWEA board. Research from the association shows that there are currently 3024 MW of wind capacity on the South African grid and that 36 wind projects have been selected as part of the country’s REIPPPP, while a R200 billion total investment has been made to all renewable energy initiatives.
Empowering socioeconomic development in our communities
During the construction of different wind farms, Siemens Gamesa embarked on numerous initiatives to support local schools, encourage science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and empower start-up enterprises. In some instances, to achieve optimum impact, we partnered with non-profit organisations to connect with the communities in a meaningful and responsible way. All the wind farms are now in the operation and maintenance stage, and Siemens Gamesa continues to make an impact.
Supplier and enterprise development
Some of the ways in which the company contributes to the local communities is through the purchase or rental of homes in the areas, renovating them, drilling boreholes, and installing amenities such as air conditioners into the homes, to ensure a comfortable home-from-home environment for our project teams. During this process, local suppliers are hired to complete the necessary renovations. We also make use of local transport companies for shuttle services, and have assisted them in increasing their vehicle fleet, so they are able to offer additional services and grow into logistics service providers. In Springbok, where there is water scarcity, we helped a woman-owned business start a water supply company to assist the needs of the community. Siemens Gamesa has supported local security companies by hiring them to assist on site, and in securing the teams’ residences. When the company recognised the talent and competitiveness of a Gauteng-based renewable energy company it was offered the opportunity to be the future service provider, for operations, maintenance, and installation, whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Educational assistance and skills development
Education — particularly related to STEM subjects — is a priority for Siemens Gamesa so it introduced its Top Achiever programmes in a number of high schools. Selected outstanding students are sponsored for the ‘Take a Girl Child to Work’ programme. Several schools have also received fully equipped computer labs.
It also created an apprenticeship programme that runs for four years and assists learners by providing necessary bridging courses for maths and science and a further three years of trade certifications which qualifies the participants as artisans.
Over the past two years, Siemens Gamesa has awarded student bursaries at different tertiary institutions across South Africa, including the Academic Institute of Excellence, the Tshwane University of Technology, University of KwaZulu Natal, Vaal University of Technology, and Northern Cape Rural College in Springbok. The fields of study in which the students benefited from the bursaries included engineering, supply chain, and human resource management.
Siemens Gamesa’s HackSTEM22 programme provides students with digital tools and teachers were trained to use the digital tools to ensure no teacher was left behind. The programme challenged students to create an app to teach mathematics. The prize for the three best projects was €5000.
Committed to sustainability
Our business is built on providing safe and sustainable energy solutions. In 2021, we reached a significant milestone for the global wind industry when we launched the offshore RecyclableBlade, the world’s first wind turbine blade that can be recycled at the end of its lifecycle. In 2022, we released the RecyclableBlade for onshore projects.
Contact Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, info@siemensgamesa.com , https://www.siemensgamesa.com
