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Renewable energy - SA joins the Club

5 Jun 2013

South Africa has joined a group of 10 countries that have formed a Renewables Club, with the common goal of promoting the use of energy generated from renewable sources worldwide.

The country has been praised for its handling of the first "windows" of the Department of Energy's renewable energy Independent Power Producer Procurement programme. This has already seen the start of 26 of the 28 projects approved so far.

The second window will reach financial closure in August and a third window opens soon after that.

The Renewables Club - launched in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday (1 June) - does not come with any binding targets. It was initiated by Germany's Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier.

The spread in the use of energy generated from renewable sources is crucial in the drive to reduce human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases.

Strong consensus in the scientific community is that climate change is caused by human production of these gases, with climate change causing damage to agriculture, widespread extinctions, jeopardising clean water supplies and aiding the spread of tropical diseases.

Apart from SA, the founding members of the Renewables Club include China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Morocco, Tonga, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the UK.

The countries account for more than 40% of global investments in renewable energy. "As members of the club we aim to lead by example. The Renewables Club is a political initiative of pioneering countries that are united by an important goal: a worldwide transformation of the energy system," Altmaier said.

Germany's electricity prices are among the highest in Europe but the International Energy Agency last month lauded the country's plan to switch to a renewable energy economy, while expressing concern about the effect of rising energy costs on industry and consumers.

The next meeting of the Renewables Club will be hosted by the UAE in Abu Dhabi in January next year.

Source: Business Day via I-Net Bridge

Source: I-Net Bridge

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