Is South Africa the Future of Renewable Energy?
In 2019, the European Union launched its ambitious European Green Deal (EGD), a sweeping policy designed to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. But here’s the catch: Europe can’t do it alone. Meeting global climate goals requires forging partnerships beyond EU borders particularly with developing nations that still rely heavily on fossil fuels. That’s where the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) comes in.
South Africa is a critical test case. Why? Because it’s one of the most coal-dependent countries in the world. This transition to renewables isn’t just environmental it’s deeply political and economic. At the centre of this challenge is the Minerals-Energy Complex (MEC): a powerful coalition of state utilities, mining giants, and political elites that have long resisted energy reform.
The EU’s Role: Investment or Influence?
France and Germany are the two largest EU contributors to South Africa’s JETP, each pledging €300 million. France invests primarily through its development agency and major energy firms like ENGIE and EDF. Germany contributes advanced technologies and has a longstanding industrial relationship with South Africa, particularly in the renewable and automotive sectors.
While these contributions appear generous, they have also raised concerns. Some analysts argue that the JETP could reproduce historical North-South power imbalances, where European nations lead the clean energy transition while developing countries are pressured to adopt changes on foreign terms and timelines. This critique has given rise to the term “climate coloniality”—the idea that, under the banner of climate action, wealthier nations maintain economic and political dominance over the Global South.
Why Solar Could Be South Africa’s Game-Changer
Launched in South Africa in 2021, the JETP is a multilateral framework designed to help countries shift away from fossil fuels in a fair and inclusive way.
And one energy source stands out as a key opportunity: solar power.
South Africa receives some of the highest levels of solar radiation on the planet. This gives it immense untapped potential not only for large-scale solar farms but also for decentralized, off-grid systems that could power homes, schools, and rural communities. Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy offers several advantages: it requires fewer upfront resources, deploys faster, creates widespread job opportunities, and is clean, quiet, and scalable. In a country grappling with energy poverty and frequent load-shedding, solar offers a compelling solution: speed, reliability, and energy autonomy.
What’s Really at Stake?
If implemented equitably, South Africa’s JETP could spark a solar energy transformation across the African continent. It could reduce emissions while improving energy access for millions. Most importantly, it could serve as a model for future just transitions in other developing nations.
But if mismanaged, it risks becoming another top-down initiative where the benefits of renewable energy flow disproportionately to foreign investors rather than local communities.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about South Africa. It’s about whether the global shift toward clean energy can be genuinely inclusive, and whether developing nations will have the autonomy to shape their own energy futures.
Solar energy, in this context, is more than a technology, it is a test. The sun shines on all equally. But the real question is: Who gets to harness its power, and on what terms?
Lena Kyony is a passionate scholar specialising in international peace, African security, and sustainable development. With particular interest in the EU’s role in advancing the green transition, she draws on her academic work in Italy as well as her research in Southern Africa and governance experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo to explore pathways for impactful climate and policy change.