Sapvia CEO Moeketsi Thobela
The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (Sapvia), which was established in 2010, has appointed Moeketsi Thobela its first CEO, effective October 1.
“I am pleased to welcome Mr Thobela as the CEO of Sapvia at this particular juncture in the growth and development of both the association and of South Africa’s solar photovoltaic (PV) industry.
“His appointment reflects Sapvia’s commitment to expanding its capabilities, better serving it members, furthering the objectives of the industry and helping to constructively engage with government around the escalated deployment of PV and the growth of our industry in South Africa,” commented Sapvia chairperson Davin Chown.
Thobela was expected to play a critical role in shaping the future of the solar PV industry and his appointment was seen as a valuable addition to Sapvia’s “seasoned and committed” management committee leadership team.
He holds electrical engineering and MBA degrees and has experience spanning more than 18 years in diverse areas such as power station operations, electricity pricing and trading, industry restructuring, regulatory policy development and implementation, renewable-energy market development and integrated energy modelling and planning.
“Given the phenomenal growth in the membership of Sapvia, spurred to a large extent by South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and the commercial and industrial rooftop market, consolidation of the gains that have been made so far is paramount.
“As part of efforts aimed at addressing our nation’s energy security challenges, I look forward to working with the membership of Sapvia and stakeholders in support of the further sustainable growth of both the utility-scale and rooftop solar PV subsectors, including associated local value chains,” commented Thobela.
To date, 1 484 MW of utility-scale solar PV projects have been awarded in the first three REIPPPP bidding windows, resulting in investments amounting to more than R40-billion.
The majority of the projects awarded in the first bidding window were operational, while those in the second bidding window were under construction.
Sapvia noted that further progress would depend on the resolution of issues related to the grid-connection of utility-scale plants, a supportive regulatory framework for rooftop solar PV and sustainable growth in local value chains.