Taylor Scott International News
05 SEP 2013 SIPHO KINGS Biomass energy could be the answer for the two-million rural households that are not connected to the electricity grid. The largest renewable source of energy being used in South Africa is one that has been used for millennia – wood. More than 10% of households use this as their primary source of energy supply, with 80% of these relying on firewood and charcoal to cook and warm their houses. A fifth of urban households and half of rural households are still not connected to the grid. This equates to over three-million households. The two million in rural areas are especially problematic because they are far from the main grid so connecting them is very expensive. The white paper on renewable energy identified biomass as an important source of renewable energy. It would rank alongside the more sophisticated sources like wind, solar and hydro in supplying a third of all energy by 2030. This is also the target set by the department of energy. But the problem is that biomass is currently collected in an unsustainable manner – mostly from people chopping down whatever trees at nearest for firewood. Several reports have investigated the pros and cons of biomass as a source of energy. One of these, written for the non-profit Trade and Industry Policy Studies in 2008, said South Africa should become a world leader in renewable energy technologies. Together all the renewable options could supply half of the country’s energy needs by 2050. It did however warn, “Biomass is a renewable resource only if production is sustainable.” If crops were planted specifically for bioenergy, which includes conversion to biofuels, the impact on food and water security would have to be monitored. But the sector had the potential to be a big driver of jobs, given how labour intensive agriculture is. Taylor Scott International
Taylor Scott International, Taylor Scott
