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- Janet Wilhelm
Janet Wilhelm
The push for more electricity generation, particularly renewable energy generation, is likely to result in a significant increase in Solar PV projects across the country. This is turn will drive demand for the components and services. Given this context, and to add to the existing body of knowledge on the Solar PV manufacturing value chain, this report provides insights on:
- Inverter manufacturing.
- Mounting frame manufacturing.
- Materials for Solar PV.
- Imports and exports of Solar PV components.
FACTSHEET: Opportunities in South Africa's Solar PV energy value chain
RELATED RESEARCH
Insights into the Wind Energy value chain in South Africa
The state of research on renewable energy value chains in South Africa: Firms and employment characteristics
The Presidential electricity plan announced in July 2022, which is set to relax regulations for private generators and double the size of Bid Window 6 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme, is intended to drive more renewable energy uptake. This should in turn lead to an increase in the demand for value chain manufactured components and services to RE generators.
Such a demand could create opportunities for South African suppliers and lead to employment creation. This is, however, contingent on local firms being able to respond to the opportunity with appropriate industrial development support from government. To do this, in the case of the manufacturing value chain in particular, an improved understanding is needed of local manufacturing and the firms producing materials, and their employment characteristics. This is not in place: there is significant research on South African renewable energy industries, but few studies provide details on the value chains supplying the different renewable energy industries. They also do not detail the local firms within these value chains or their employment characteristics. Only a few studies provide information on the materials used to manufacture these inputs (and the jobs associated with the materials used in renewable manufacturing value chains.
This report describes and discusses the major sources of data that exist on renewable energy firms and employment in these value chains. It concludes with some ideas on how and where to build this knowledge base.
RELATED RESEARCH
Insights into the Solar Photovoltaic manufacturing value chain in South Africa
Insights into the Wind Energy value chain in South Africa
Less than 1% of discarded textiles are recycled back into clothing
Engineering News - 27 September 2022 by Darren Parker
The Import Localisation and Supply Chain Disruption study is a quarterly report that seeks to identify goods from the list of imports identified in the Import Tracker report that South Africa could possibly viably manufacture. Each quarter focuses on five manufactured items from the list of imports in the corresponding quarter's Import Tracker report. The five products in this report are:
Product 1: Ammonium sulphate
Product 2: Sodium hydroxide "caustic soda" in aqueous solution "soda lye or liquid soda"
Product 3: Parts of machinery for working mineral substances of heading 8474, n.e.s.
Product 4: Articles of plastics and articles of other materials of heading 3901 to 3914, n.e.s: Other
Product 5: Terephthalic acid and its salts
TERMS OF REFERENCE: FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE PROMOTION OF USE OF TIMBER IN CONSTRUCTION
TIPS on behalf of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition invites interested service providers to submit proposals to conduct research on the feasibility of the promotion of the use of timber in construction. feasibility study will inform the development of a strategy that enhance the use of timber in house and building constructions. The project will be carried out over 18 months. Closing date for proposal: 10 October 2022 at 16h00. Proposals should be sent to TIPS for the attention of Daphney Mabuza daphney@tips.org.za. Click for more information. Download ToR here.
New report offers advice on how to green the South African clothing and textile industry
Tax avoidance is increasingly damaging developing economies, says TIPS
Engineering News - 12 September 2022 by Marleny Arnoldi
Bureaucracy has shown itself to be slow and risk averse
Business Day - 12 September 2022 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)
Or read as a PDF
Import Tracker - Q1 2022
South Africa’s trade surplus declined for the third consecutive term to R61.4 billion in the first quarter of 2022, representing the lowest trade surplus since mineral prices began to rise in 2020 largely as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Imports, which declined to their lowest level since the early 2000s, have continued their upward trajectory, from R266 billion in the second quarter of 2020 (at the peak of the COVID-related lockdown) to about R397 billion in the first quarter of 2022. This is higher than pre-pandemic levels, exceeded only by the R401 billion reported in the third quarter of 2013. Moreover, this represents 20% growth compared to the first quarter of 2021. Exports remain at historic levels, although they declined from R475 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021 to R458 billion in the first quarter of 2022. In contrast to imports, which show significant year-on-year growth, exports increased by just 6% in the year to the first quarter of 2022. Still, the R458 billion represents the highest reported first quarter exports (in constant 2022 Rand) reported by South Africa thus far.
Updated October 2022