ABSTRACT
In countries such as Germany, the US and Japan, part of the research effort was directed towards renewable energy, such as solar thermal, solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind. In the US, some states set specific targets for the level of renewable energy that should be included in a utility's portfolio. South Africa's renewables deployment also shows signs of both the subsidy and the post-subsidy era, despite the fact that South Africa's renewables journey only began relatively recently. That said, the first successful auction served to raise the profile of South Africa as a credible and relatively low-risk renewables market among investors, which allowed South Africa to begin reaping the benefits of falling wind and solar PV costs. In Germany, 22.5 GW of solar PV capacity was added in only three years, while Italy added a whopping 9.3 GW in 2011 alone.
