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A general view of solar panels on top of the Hemp Hotel in Cape Town on April 25, 2023. – Twelve floors, a breathtaking view over Table Mountain and a minimal ecological footprint: the world’s tallest building constructed from industrial hemp will soon rise in Cape Town city center. While the “Hemp Hotel” is based on a classic concrete and cement structure, the wood-finished walls are all made from “hempcrete” blocks: a material with multiple properties of insulation, fire resistance, and a negative carbon footprint. (Photo by RODGER BOSCH / AFP)

Home » Details on the solar deal with China that will be HUGE for SA

Details on the solar deal with China that will be HUGE for SA

The minister hopes to conclude a solar deal with China at this week’s BRICS Summit that could mark the beginning of the end of loadshedding.

By Ray Leathern
21-08-23 16:05
in Business
is solar power cheaper
A general view of solar panels on top of the Hemp Hotel in Cape Town on April 25, 2023. – Twelve floors, a breathtaking view over Table Mountain and a minimal ecological footprint: the world’s tallest building constructed from industrial hemp will soon rise in Cape Town city center. While the “Hemp Hotel” is based on a classic concrete and cement structure, the wood-finished walls are all made from “hempcrete” blocks: a material with multiple properties of insulation, fire resistance, and a negative carbon footprint. (Photo by RODGER BOSCH / AFP)

A huge solar deal with China is in the works and it will likely be signed at the BRICS Summit this week, reports Business Tech. Speaking to Bloomberg TV, the Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, said he was close to signing a major solar deal with China.

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The solar deal with China would help South Africa access solar panels and other tech needed to tackle the on-going energy crisis. China is the world’s most prolific producer of solar panels. The minister says significant investment and energy generation is expected within just six months.

AN END TO LOADSHEDDING

solar deal with China
Image: Twitter/@Kgosientsho_R.

As a forerunner to the solar deal with China, the minister travelled to the East to meet with the biggest solar panel manufacturers. He said he is confident that this deal will help fix Eskom’s ailing infrastructure. And loadshedding will eventually become a thing of the past.

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Ramakgopa predicted that an additional 4 700 MW of power would be added to the grid in the next few months. In response to persistent loadshedding, South African businesses and private households have increasingly gone off the grid with solar. SA has imported more than R12-billion-worth of solar technology to date in 2023.

ALSO READ: Here’s how SA’s solar energy boom is quietly saving the country

And as we reported earlier in the month, South Africa’s renewable energy plan – worth R160 billion – is being financed by some of the world’s richest countries to move us away from coal. But it has hit delays due to the need to reskill workers and a lack of equipment.

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The signing of this solar deal with China is anticipated to take place at the BRICS Summit this week.

The 15th BRICS Summit takes place from August 22-24 2023 at the Sandton Convention Centre. We will bring you all the news as it takes place.

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