As profits trickle in, more can be done to distribute renewable energy benefits fairly, citizens say
The grassy greens and browns of SA's semidesert Karoo region are fast becoming dotted with flashes of silver and white, as solar and wind farms spring up across the vast, sun-soaked land in the Northern Cape.
Climate policy experts are looking to SA, Africa's biggest carbon emitter, as the poster child for developing nations seeking to shift from fossil fuels to green energy in a way that reduces poverty for all: a so-called just transition. It comes down to the dignity of people. They need to be partners, not just on the receiving end of charityBut SA financial research house Intellidex recently reported that IPP share dividends for communities have so far been spent largely on paying back loans to development finance institutions that enabled the trusts to buy their shares in the first place.
In June, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that businesses could increase the amount of power they generate, to ease the burden on state utility Eskom. “Trusts are still far too welfare-orientated, which may be good for the short term but it's not enough to overcome past inequalities,” Gabriel said.Yet, De Aar residents said they have noticed changes since the wind and solar farms started up.
During construction, about 70% of the 3,000 jobs created went to locals but it was unskilled temporary work, he noted. De Aar inhabitants are shocked they are still left in the dark by frequent load-shedding, despite living next to wind and solar farms.
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