CHAPTER 07 : INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY SUPPORT MECHANISMS FOR RAPID RENEWABLE ENERGY UPTAKE
played by Renewable Energy appears to be gaining converts. This debate, taken up by climate change proponents the world over, shows signs of increased participation. With the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) taking a leadership role on issues of climate change, as well as energy efficiency awareness building by the DoE, official campaigns (Indalo Yethu campaign, Energy Efficiency campaign) have been launched. Increased participation by the public and not just commercial entities will be crucial in consensus building. Not without critics, some question motivations behind the almost evangelical conversion to the green way by politicians, actors and public figures alike. In an article for the June 2007 edition of Modern Power Systems, Jeremy Wilcox writes that ‘the greening of politicians has been one of the most significant political developments of the past decade, yet skeptics are right to question whether this conversion to the Green Gospel is due to a sincere desire to tackle climate change or whether it is driven more by the desire to accumulate political power. In all, it is probably a bit of both. Is it all political rhetoric? A fitting analogy is with the United States response to the oil price shocks of the 1970s. The response by the US government saw a wave of awareness building around issues of alternative energy sources and corresponding earmarks in the national budget towards research and development. Jimmy Carter, US president at the time, went as far has having solar thermal systems installed in the White House. All this changed with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. In an appropriate symbolic gesture, the solar panels were taken off the roof of the White House. Kofi Annan’s Nelson Mandela Lecture, where he pointedly stated that Africa will bear the most adverse effects as a result of climate change, should serve as enough of a reason for increased engagement on and debate of how to develop an African solution and framework to the problems stated. The influence of Government in making decisions to support RE is not without heavy vested interests for and against its use. These decisions come under the spotlight all the more, when support for RE is announced, only to result in underperformance and targets unlikely to be met. In California, where an ambitious target for RE was brought forward to 2010, three years earlier than 2013, the public utilities commission concluded that the State will miss its target for renewables. It requires a fifth of its electricity from RE sources. Meanwhile, the plan to install solar roofs on houses has been stymied by the high cost of photovoltaic panels, red tape and a requirement, temporarily suspended, that customers buy additional power at rates that vary according to demand. That would have increased some households’ energy bills.
THE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY RESOURCE HANDBOOK, VOLUME 2
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