Since the onset of load shedding in 2007, which reached an all-time high of over 6900 hours in 2023, South Africa has sought alternatives to diversify the energy mix and to increase energy production capacity. This is evidenced by the rapid increase in the country’s renewable energy capacity through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, which aims to reach over 19 GW by 2030. Further driving this transition is South Africa’s ratification of the 2016 Paris Agreement, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Given the increase of these distributed energy resources, a platform is necessary to integrate them effectively with the national grid. Virtual power plants are intelligent, cloud-based solutions that integrate distributed energy resources, storage systems, and controllable loads into a real-time, unified system to enhance grid flexibility. Therefore, this research evaluates the feasibility of adopting virtual power plants to integrate renewable energy sources within the South African energy sector. Using a social, technical, economic, environmental, and political (STEEP) approach, this study addresses the current limitations of the national utility, Eskom, in its demand-response-focussed virtual power plant, identifying critical challenges and opportunities for a broader, renewable-centric model.

Keywords

Virtual power plants, distributed energy resources, renewable energy