https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Renewable energy sector could provide jobs boost to SA

15th October 2018

By: African News Agency

  

Font size: - +

The renewable energy sector could provide an unexpected but much-needed jobs boost to South Africa’s employment levels, as the sector continues to mature, solar energy company SOLA Future Energy said on Monday.

SOLA Future Energy is the company that replaced Robben Island’s diesel-powered electricity supply with a grid driven by solar energy.

The more new solar systems are built and come on line, the greater the growth in the ongoing job opportunities in both the operation and maintenance of these facilities," CEO Dom Wills said.

"Although the job prospects for the construction of renewable energy projects are well understood, ongoing and permanent career opportunities created by the operation and maintenance of the solar systems are just as important and should not be underestimated,” he said.

Wills said a common misconception about the renewable energy sector is that it lacks job opportunities.

“At first, those seeking jobs in the energy sector in South Africa were just looking to work for entities like Eskom," he said, referring to the state owned electricity utility.

"As more people understood that installed solar panels needed maintenance, interest in the sector grew. As the sector has grown, the opportunities have expanded and also become more specialised."

The European market shows that for every MW of solar installed, some 28 job-years per MW were created. Closer to home, across SOLA’s operations portfolio of 23.5 MW, four people are employed full time and one part time.

“If we extrapolate this to cover the entire embedded market, we estimate that at least 37 people are employed, full time, for South Africa’s current 200 MW of embedded generation," said Wills. "The market potential of 5 000 MW means that at least 900 potential jobs could exist."

Edited by African News Agency

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

Environmental Impact Management Services
Environmental Impact Management Services

EIMS is an independent specialised environmental consulting firm offering the full spectrum of environmental management services across all sectors...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Craig Miller Technical Services (CMTS)
Craig Miller Technical Services (CMTS)

CMTS is a leading, well-established EC&I contractor with 37+ years of mining and industrial experience. We execute full-scope EC&I projects with...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







301

sq:0.054 0.788s - 142pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now