The Current Ep 7 | SA's solar awakening

Loading player...
This year, South Africa is set to become the tenth-largest solar market in the world. In 2023 R17.5 Billion rands of solar panels were imported into this country. In the latest episode of The Current podcast series, we’re talking all things solar PV – from market dynamics to how much it costs and whether it makes commercial sense for you to install it for your business or your home. Listen to Investec’s Melanie Humphries, Bernard Geldenhuys, and SAPVIA’s De Wet Taljaard, as they enlighten us on SA’s solar boom.

00:00: Intro
01:56: Meet the guests
02:24: Overview of solar in SA and its domination
03:36: 86% of all solar is residential or rooftop
04:24: Large-scale solar PV projects
05:03: SA in comparison to other country's solar adoption
06:20: The impact of residential solar's boom on the national grid
07:16: The cost implications of installing solar
09:46: Homeowners installing solar for commercial value
11:55: Equitable access to solar power
13:55: Local manufacturing of solar lagging behind
14:49: REIPP Programme attracting substantial FDI
15:19: Feeding excess energy back into the grid
17:32: Transmission is the biggest hurdle for large-scale solar
18:50: What is wheeling and why is it important for IPPs?
21:19: Top considerations when installing rooftop solar
22:28: Maintenance of solar equipment
23:10: Loadshedding and solar's relationship is changing
24:17: SMMEs benefit from solar
25:24: What are the risks to SA's solar boom?
28:28 Closing comments and some practical advice
21 May 2024 English South Africa Business · Investing

Other recent episodes

What Next? Bridging the trust gap

In this episode of What Next?, Professor Mike Kenny (Cambridge) and Jacinta Koolmatrie examine the breakdown of trust between communities and institutions. They discuss how centralised governance and economic shifts have driven local grievances, and argue that rebuilding trust requires sharing power, working at community pace, and supporting locally led…
2 Apr 52 min

NOW Ep124: A crude awakening for inflation?

Interest rate cuts were meant to define 2026. Now, markets are bracing for hikes. In this episode of No Ordinary Wednesday, Investec’s Chief Economists Annabel Bishop and Phil Shaw examine how the energy shock is forcing central banks to reconsider their path. From London to Pretoria, policymakers face a familiar…
31 Mar 24 min

Macro Monday Ep110: Little sign of a near-term end to the war

With little sign of an early resolution to the war in the Middle East, supply constraints on commodities such as oil, gas, and helium may well endure. Chris Holdsworth Chief Investment Strategist, at Investec Wealth & Investment International notes that fuel prices likely to feed through quickly into consumer inflation,…
30 Mar 8 min

What Next? | Making the transition investable

Clean and green growth has moved from ambition to execution, but the challenge is one of pace. Investment conditions are key: predictable rules, credible pathways, and coordination across value chains, finance and government. This episode of What Next? Leadership Conversations for a Better Future, Helena Norrman, Marina Grossi, and Sang-Hyup…
27 Mar 35 min

Everything Counts | Episode 44: What the new 2026 tax allowances mean for you?

The new tax year is here, and the 2026 Budget Speech introduced important changes that could reshape how South Africans save, invest, and plan for retirement. In this episode of Everything Counts, host Motheo Khoaripe sits down with Vumi Dludlu, Investec financial adviser, and Johan Loubser, head of adviser enablement…
23 Mar 18 min