As China surges, South Africa’s wind footprint breaches 1 GW mark

South Africa increased its installed wind-energy capacity to above 1 GW last year, new Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) figures show, making it the largest wind-energy producer in Africa, followed by Morocco, whose installed capacity stood at 787 MW in 2015. South Africa’s wind growth has been stimulated primarily by government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, through which 6 300 MW of renewable-energy capacity has been procured since 2011. Prices for wind have also fallen from R142c/kWh in the first bid window in 2011, to 65c/kWh in the fourth bid window.