WIND ENERGY

Onshore wind energy is a sustainable energy solution that converts the energy in the wind to electrical power using wind turbine technology.

Wind turbine technology is a mature and proven technology with 743GW of installed capacity globally. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), 2020 was the biggest year in history for wind energy with 93GW of new capacity installed. Wind turbines are becoming bigger with higher hub heights and larger rotor diameters enabling the technology to be efficiently deployed into lower wind speed conditions.

South Africa has significant wind resources for onshore wind power, comparable to some of the best wind markets in the world. The Integrated Resource Plan 2019 (IRP 2019) was gazette on 18 October 2019 and serves as a roadmap for new generation capacity in South Africa to the year 2030. Wind power is the most dominant technology in the IRP 2019 with a consistent annual allocation of 1,600MW and a total provision of 14,400MW of new capacity by 2030.