Research Reports

This report follows the format of first introducing the national and local energy development landscape as a background context for the study. It then deepens its focus on energy use in municipalities, covering the energy service delivery status of the 2 study municipalities (technical and policy elements), household energy use patterns of low-income households in these municipalities, followed by a brief review of lessons from international and local community energy projects.

This report offers a collection of insights emerging from the national large-scale renewable energy programmme.

This paper develops a social performance approach for energy-sector investments and energy project development. In essence, this puts the needs and well-being of people – including current and future generations – at the centre of energy development and related investments and activities. The approach can help determine whether (or not) the development and implementation of energy projects (e.g., a renewable wind park, decentralised energy services such as solar mini-grids, or a coal-mining site) and the usage of locally generated energy directly contributes to the livelihoods and prospects of local communities.

This paper outlines the Social Performance Approach, offering a new perspective
on understanding and shaping energy sector investments for the benefit of people and communities.

The research investigated community engagement within the tripartite relationship of a wind farm, the communities around it, and the local government. It was found that local government played a moderating role in the community engagement efforts of the wind farm, which had to comply with certain engagement protocols determined by local government.

This paper explores the question of scaling Just Transition community projects, blending historical and empirical perspectives. Through an assessment of the design, funding, implementation and maintenance of such projects, the paper articulates the constraints and opportunities for South Africa’s historically disadvantaged communities. South Africa is indeed not new transition projects and, in some ways, can be argued to still be going through a version of its original post-Apartheid transition.

This research report aims to specifically explore the skills gaps and training needs amongst economic development practitioners in South Africa’s Renewable Energy Programme.

This policy brief provides lessons learnt and associated recommendations from one particular attempt to address this issue, namely South Africa’s efforts to incorporate community development as a criteria in the auction schemes through which renewable energy is procured. This policy is implemented through the nationwide REIPPP programme, which is among the few of its kind globally.

Intellidex has conducted a research project into community trusts set up under South Africa’s renewable energy independent power producer procurement programme (REIPPPP). The research was funded by FirstRand.

This report presents the results of a study which unpacks some of the major political, institutional, regulatory and social barriers to renewable energy deployment in South Africa. It also provides some insight into proposed means of addressing these barriers to facilitate accelerated industrialisation in the renewable energy sector.