DDPP Political Economy 261115 FINAL for printing (1).pdf (4.02 MB)
The political economy of decarbonisation: exploring the dynamics of South Africa’s electricity sector
report
posted on 2023-06-08, 23:34 authored by Lucy Baker, Jesse Burton, Catrina Godinho, Hilton TrollipSouth Africa’s coal-dominated electricity sector, a key feature of the country’s minerals-energy complex, is in crisis and subject to change. This offers potential opportunities for decarbonisation. Despite positive examples of decarbonisation in South Africa’s electricity sector, such as a procurement programme for renewable energy, there are structural path dependencies linked to coal-fired generation and security of supply. Decarbonisation goes far beyond what is technologically or even economically feasible, to encompass a complexity of political, social and economic factors. Meanwhile, decision-making in electricity is highly politicised and lack of transparency and power struggles in the policy sphere pose key challenges. Such power struggles are reflected in national debates over which technologies should be prioritised and the institutional arrangements that should facilitate them.
Funding
German Ministry for Environment
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Publisher
Energy Research Centre, UCTPublisher URL
Place of publication
Cape Town, South AfricaDepartment affiliated with
- SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications
Institution
Energy Research Centre, University of Cape TownFull text available
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2015-11-27First Open Access (FOA) Date
2016-03-22First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2016-03-22Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC