Going off the grid with Small-Scale Embedded Generation

Genesis Analytics was commissioned by the German Development Cooperation (GiZ) to undertake a market impact assessment for small-scale embedded generation (SSEG), including the development of a state of play assessment and a range of policy options for government.

Genesis retained a consortium of environmental and energy technology experts for this project, including John Ward from Pengwern Associates, Megan Sagner from Consulting for Sustainable Solutions and Chris Ahlfeldt from Blue Horizon. This project is ongoing. Genesis has submitted the state of play report and is completing the policy options and public-sector SSEG workstreams.

The state of play report was a market study aimed at answering questions relating to the long-term potential for SSEG in South Africa. This included identifying the enablers and barriers faced by potential consumers of SSEG. We also assessed the impact of SSEG growth on the South African economy, including quantifying the impacts on job creation, earnings and GDP.

To obtain an unbiased view of these local market conditions, Genesis engaged relevant stakeholders including NERSA, Eskom, various municipalities, and industry organisations such as SALGA, SAPIA and GreenCape. These engagements, coupled with desktop research, enabled us to develop a comprehensive opinion on the state of SSEG in South Africa.

For the policy options workstream, Genesis is working with government to identify policy priorities to address the potential risks to the electricity supply industry, promote systems integration and manage the “just transition” to a low-carbon economy. For the public-sector workstream Genesis is assisting public-sector entities in developing feasibility studies for SSEG installations on public sector buildings.