Renewables
South Africa targets industrial growth via clean energy transition
Envision Energy outlines strategies for integrating wind, solar and storage to drive industrial competitiveness in South Africa.
Key points
- Envision Energy highlights the role of storage and artificial intelligence in managing grid curtailment.
- The Naos-1 solar-plus-storage project in the Free State aims to supply commercial and industrial users.
- The company is evaluating local battery storage assembly and skills development initiatives.
What happened
South Africa's energy transition is shifting focus toward delivery capability, system flexibility, and industrial competitiveness, according to an editorial published by ESI Africa.
Envision Energy stated that converting high-quality wind and solar resources into reliable electricity requires advanced storage solutions to mitigate renewable energy curtailment. According to the company, curtailment increases system costs and results in lost revenue.
In the Free State, the Naos-1 solar-plus-storage project is advancing to provide dispatchable power to commercial and industrial users. The initiative integrates smart wind turbines, artificial intelligence algorithms, and grid-forming battery storage to improve predictability and network stability.
Localisation and industrial growth
Envision Energy indicated it is assessing the feasibility of establishing local battery assembly capacity in South Africa. The approach aligns with government policies on localisation, Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), and the just transition.
The firm is collaborating with local engineering, procurement, and construction firms, logistics providers, and lifting companies to train engineers and technicians. In August 2026, South Africa's Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, visited Envision's industrial park in Chifeng during a visit to China to observe green hydrogen and manufacturing pathways.
Why it matters
According to World Bank figures from 2024, South Africa recorded an electricity use per person of 3308.2 kWh, while access to electricity stood at 90.2 percent. However, World Bank data from 2021 indicated that the renewable share of electricity output was just 6.4 percent, highlighting the substantial task ahead in transforming the country's energy mix.
For energy investors and policymakers across the continent, South Africa's efforts to couple renewable energy expansion with domestic industrialisation provide a vital test case. Integrating variable generation with storage and artificial intelligence offers a pathway to bypass traditional infrastructure bottlenecks, supporting low-carbon manufacturing and export growth that other developing economies can replicate.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Renewables are the fastest-growing part of the world’s energy system. The COP28 goal is to triple capacity by 2030, and solar mini-grids are the fastest route to power for millions of people without electricity.
6.4% of electricity in South Africa was renewable in 2021Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
