Between 2018 and 2023, businesses registered 1,310 energy projects with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).

The majority of these projects (85%) were under 1MW. A 1MW installation is roughly enough to power 650 average homes. These ‘smaller’ installs are primarily those done by businesses, farms and shopping centres looking to bolster their energy supply against the threat of loadshedding. In the last 3 years, the country experienced 495 days of blackouts.

Nersa’s registrations do not include the much larger REIPP projects like the solar and wind farms that are focused on putting power into the national grid.

Of the 1,310 projects licensed, 1,109 have been installs of under 1MW. There are also 130 projects between 1MW and 10MW and 71 projects larger than 10MW. The caption of this chart has been updated.