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Umoyilanga will operate as one of South Africa’s first virtual power plants, combining solar, wind and battery storage across two sites 900km apart to deliver reliable, dispatchable electricity to the national grid. Photo: EDF power solutions/Oxpeckers

Rooftop solar: South Africa’s next power station?

South Africans’ backup power systems could become giant virtual power plants – if regulators clear the way

Cyril Ramaphosa at the Namibia-South Africa Binational Commission. Picture: NIPDB.

‘Kleinboet’ emerges as a key economic player

Namibia’s investment surge and offshore oil prospects are redefining its relationship with South Africa and global investors

Solar farm. photo: Ihsaan Haffejee / Oxpeckers

Beyond the build: green jobs in South Africa’s renewables industry

South Africa’s green transition is creating jobs, but lasting employment depends on manufacturing, localisation and new industries

Komati Power Station was decommissioned in late 2022. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee. Oxpeckers

Why billions in climate finance are still sitting on the sidelines

Billions are available for South Africa’s just transition, but the real challenge is building a pipeline of credible projects

Solar panels. Picture: Pixabay/Pexels

Energy trader GreenCo woos Sanlam with $10m stake

Sanlam’s investment highlights how Africa is building its own creditworthy, bankable infrastructure projects. And investors are biting

The Atlantis Special Economic Zone requires that 30% of infrastructure project value be directed to local businesses. Photo: Barry Christianson. Picture courtesy Oxpeckers; only to be used with permission.

Renewables: plugging the localisation gap

Billions are flowing into South Africa’s green economy. But are local manufacturers, workers and communities truly benefiting?

The Hydrogen Valley Innovation Hub was meant to start operating in January 2025 and promised to create several hundred jobs in its first year, yet the site where it is meant to stand remains empty. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
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Vaal’s Hydrogen Hub: big promises, empty fields

A R4.7bn green hydrogen project promised jobs, development and investment for Vaal communities. Nothing has materialised

Renewables construction mafia. Rawpixel/Currency collage

Expropriation and mafias spook green investors

South Africa is facing various headwinds in its efforts to attract greater foreign investment for renewables projects

Copper rolls. zhangyang135769/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Inside the scramble for copper: can prices rise another 50%? 

The stars have aligned for copper producers as AI, housing and green energy demand collide with a supply crunch