Renewable Energy Policy and Growth: uMhlathuze Municipality, SA

This report examines the policy opportunities and growth of renewable energy technologies in South Africa, with a specific focus on the uMhlathuze Municipality in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. The study explores the background of the research, highlighting the global efforts towards climate change mitigation and South Africa's commitments as a signatory to international agreements. It delves into the municipal dilemma, which involves balancing community service mandates, fiscal risks, electricity supply jurisdiction, and climate change mitigation efforts. The report outlines the research aims and objectives, which include identifying favorable energy policies, assessing restrictions to renewable energy technology (RET) incorporation, and evaluating the municipality's mindset towards RETs. The research methodology encompasses a detailed literature review, research approach, design, data collection, and analysis plans, along with ethical considerations. The literature review covers the municipal dilemma, review of the literature and energy policies of South Africa. The findings aim to offer effective advice for other South African municipalities to promote sustainable development through renewable energy adoption.

Running head: RESEARCH
The policy opportunities and growth of Renewable Energy Technologies in South Africa: A
case study of uMhlathuze Municipality, Northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................3
1.1 Background of the Study.......................................................................................................4
1.2 Problem Statement.................................................................................................................5
1.3 Research Aims and Objectives..............................................................................................5
1.4 Research Question.................................................................................................................6
1.5 Significance of the Study.......................................................................................................6
1.6 Limitations of the Study........................................................................................................6
Chapter 2: Literature Review...........................................................................................................8
2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................8
2.2 The municipal dilemma.........................................................................................................8
2.3 Review of the Literature........................................................................................................9
2.4 A complex system approach to understanding the municipal dilemma..............................11
2.5 Characteristics of a complex system....................................................................................13
2.6 Energy Policies of South Africa..........................................................................................15
2.7 The legal jargon...................................................................................................................17
2.8 Energy Legislation of South Africa.....................................................................................17
2.9 Summary of the Literature...................................................................................................19
Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................21
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................21

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3.2 Research Approach..............................................................................................................21
3.3 Research Design..................................................................................................................22
3.4 Data Collection Process.......................................................................................................22
3.5 Data Analysis Plan...............................................................................................................23
3.6 Ethical Consideration...........................................................................................................23
Reference List................................................................................................................................24

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Chapter 1: Introduction
The effort that has been made globally with respect to the changes that are taking place in
the climate is discovered in several forms and this is done with the help of reclamation of the
land, restoration of the soil and use of other alternate sources (Scarlat et al. 2015). Every member
country of the worldwide group adds to this exertion in its own specific manner, and while
undertaking this action faces to some degree remarkable challenges. South Africa, a signatory to
the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)” and the “Kyoto
Protocol”, is a kind of a member. As a signatory to these worldwide duties, South Africa must
discover methods for accomplishing feasible improvement and even rectifying certain harms and
failures that has come about because economic development that has taken place due to the use
of the fossil fuels (Luthra et al. 2015). The discovery of the alternative, continuous sources of
energy is looked upon to be one of the processes and thereby stays certain threats related to the
country South Africa as the nation looks to incorporate the use of technologies that are related to
renewable energies.
To actualize national endeavours, the grass-root level of administration must be brought
locally available by entering the municipalities. Schandl et al. (2016) show that at the municipal
level "renewable energy source programs confront various general difficulties and obstructions
that restrict critical extensive deployment". These difficulties are inclusive of what is defined by
Polzin et al. (2015) who explain the terms social, technical, institutional and political barriers.
The indication of these different hindrances is frequently interlinked and cannot be completely
represented by concentrating on a solitary restriction. This idea of 'a set of restrictions” will

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illuminate the ensuing meetings on beating restrictions to RET incorporation at the municipal
level.
1.1 Background of the Study
The background of the paper relates to the city of uMhlathuze, which is known to be a
local government that is located at the north-eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal and the city is
about 180 kms away from Durban. The municipality of the city has coverage of 795km and has
an extensive coastline. The municipality is segmented into 30 wards and has of more than 60
councillors, who take the decisions on the basis of the members of the community. The
municipality like any other ones have the intention of taking care of the society and therefore
takes extensive measure with the help of which they would be able to take care of the city.
The country as well as the municipalities has been facing several issues and dilemmas
and Inglesi-Lotz (2016) explained that revenue from the electricity and the financial survival of
the city is related closely with all the municipalities of South Africa as traditionally the
municipalities had the task of the distribution of the electricity. The rise in the use of electricity
has been an issue for the municipalities as it is seen that the rise in the demand generates the
issue of generating electivity. The central government as well as the municipalities have
generated the need for saving the non-renewable sources and therefore they have been taking
measures with the help of which the country would be able to reduce the use of non-renewable
sources and the development of the use of the renewable sources of energy.
Bilgili et al. (2015) explained that the non-renewable sources have been used extensively
in the past and this created an issue as it was having an impact on the environment. The
development of the use of the renewable sources has been possible with the creation of

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awareness and therefore several rules and regulations have been created with the help of which
the use of renewable technologies can be developed.
1.2 Problem Statement
Obama (2017) has explained that in order to discover the actual problem of the research,
it is essential for the researcher get to know the need for the study related to this topic. The most
essential and the immediate requirement has been to assist the municipalities explain their issues
and dilemma, which would act as an effort that would have positive, several and extensive
impacts, which would actually explain the needs seen in the higher level like the attainment of
sustainable development. Therefore the problem of the research that has been taken into
consideration has been the dilemma that is existent within the uMhlathuze municipality.
1.3 Research Aims and Objectives
This section has the idea of specifying the distinct aspects and the areas in accordance to
which the research would move forward and accordingly specific measures and steps can be
taken that would be influential in order to discover the actual results. The objectives are
constructed in order to provide a clear idea in accordance to which the researcher would find the
aspects and the elements that are essential with the help of which an understanding of the results
can be attained. Accordingly, the objectives of the research have been constructed in the
following manner:
 Discover energy and municipal management rules and legislation favourable to the
incorporation of the renewable energy technologies.
 Ascertain the vital restrictions to the incorporation of RETs in South Africa

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 Ascertain the mindset of the municipality regarding the restrictions to municipal
incorporation of the generation of renewable energy.
 Ascertain precise knowledge on the flourishing incorporation of renewable energy
creation from the use of domestic and international scenarios
 Ascertain effective advice that can be used by most of the South African municipalities,
in order to make their way forward towards development
1.4 Research Question
The research questions in accordance to this thesis are:
Q1. What are the opportunities and growths associated with the successful incorporation of the
renewable energy technologies in the municipality of uMhlathuze?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The current topic that has been taken into consideration has a vital role to play in the
development of the use of the renewable energy by the municipality of uMhlathuze because of
the fact that the municipalities do not have adequate knowledge and understanding of the
techniques and the tools that would be used for the use of renewable energies. The municipalities
are always on the move for better ways of developing the renewable energies. However, there
has been an idea that the technologies that are used for the purpose of the generation of
renewable energies are costly and therefore are not taken into consideration by the municipalities
and the other government bodies (Ellabban, Abu-Rub and Blaabjerg 2014). This research would
therefore look to explain the opportunities and the benefits that the municipalities attain with the
use of these technologies and accordingly how these technologies can be helpful in the
sustenance of the environment can be maintained.

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1.6 Limitations of the Study
The paper that has been taken into consideration has several issues and limitations as it is
seen that the topic is a complex one and everyone has their own idea and point of view related to
the use of the renewable energy technologies. The observations have stated that some personnel
have viewed the fact that use of renewable energy technologies leads to rise in the expenses and
costs and therefore this may create pertinent issues. On the other hand, the other limitation that
has been discovered in accordance to this paper has been the feeble knowledge about the rules
and the regulations that are existent in South Africa in accordance to the use of these
technologies and therefore creates a dilemma.

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Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
The topic on which the literature review would be prepared is based on the development
and opportunities that renewable energy technologies have on the municipalities in South Africa.
The literature would provide an idea about the aspects and the remedial on the basis of which
several researchers as well as the municipalities have point their views and thereby an extensive
idea has been attained with the help of which assessment on the current topic would be done by
the researcher. The literature would therefore confront and focus on the several aspects and the
idea on the basis of which the opportunities and the growth related to the use of the renewable
energy technologies would be known in a better way.
2.2 The municipal dilemma
The municipal dilemma refers in the direction of the nodes between: (a) community
mandates on the road to offer fundamental services; (b) the probable fiscal risks of implementing
renewable energy technologies (RETs); (c) the dogmatic ambiguity surrounding electricity
origination then supply jurisdiction; (d) the needed arrangement, by municipalities, with RETs
with solving the danger in the increasing risk of revenue cost due to condensed sales of
electricity ,which is occurring because the clients are installing their own RETs, along with (e)
being a benefaction to the national climate change mitigation efforts. The long period problem of
the South African minerals-energy-complex (MEC) which sees impressive forces, truly vested
now the country’s coal plus mineral deposits dependence, influencing management action, is the
situation inside which the civic dilemma is embedded. Before embedding the crisis record inside
a better context, it is recognised to facilitate the municipal dilemma is influenced by, along with

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influencing new parts of the South African context (Lo 2014). This has influenced the
acceptance of difficult systems including the study problem. This is further explained in this
paper, with an effort to properly explain the system and show relationship between the
municipality and municipal dilemma.
2.3 Review of the Literature
There are many forms of a literature review. According to Jebli and Youssef (2015) in the
present research methods there are two types of literature reviews, and they are traditional and
systematic. Again there are divisions in traditional literature review and they are (a) conceptual
reviews; (b) state-of-the-art reviews; (c) expert reviews; and (d) scoping reviews, but systematic
literature review has no such divisions. Jebli, Youssef and Ozturk (2016) explained that
traditional literature review is flexible, and helps researcher to have their own ideas and explore
them, but at the same time it is also subjective, whereas the systematic review is mainly based on
scientific methods. In systematic review a clear aim of the research has to be stated along with a
correct question, well explained search method, giving all the criteria. This gives a qualitative
evaluation of the study (Smith et al. 2016)
After developing a proper research problem, a near about literature map also can be
called as a complete thematic map was developed so as to have a proper guidance for the
research’s literature finding. This map is explained in the diagram below. The first step was to
use systematic method to help in getting related literature on the different subtopics as explained
in the map, and there after join all the collected data.

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On the other hand Bilgili, Koçak and Bulut (2016) talks about the idea of “radical
looking”, which is done when a researcher find out the research topic which is not familiar,
removing the complex programme and open to new discoveries and also counter-arguments.
The reference materials from the author’s PGD (Post Graduate Diploma) programme
helped to understand radical looking, which further open doors to online and library databases,
and helped in understanding topics as different as understanding policy Scarlat et al. (2015), then
for knowledge management system thinking is done.
Radical looking opened doors for online and library database findings on the contents as
different as understanding policy, applying system thinking for knowledge management, difficult
system explanations and economies related to political system in South Africa. The overall
outcome of this type of working was to get a complete understanding of the contents in the

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research problem and after that also the research. Finally, so the literature review was done on
the traditional approach.
2.4 A complex system approach to understanding the municipal dilemma
Of the three-tier system being the national, provincial and the native government the
municipality is the lowest structure of the South African administration. The municipality’s job
is to (a) take decisions for the two higher tiers along with the politics in them; (b) also the
demands of the citizens; and finally (c) the important deliveries in the constitutional service.
Thus the municipality is has an overabundance of these different contradictory forces. The
provision of the elementary services given to the citizens may sometimes compete with the
national government programme’s demands. According to Abdmouleh, Alammari and Gastli
(2015) the growth of RETs is hindered by this “web of bureaucratic barriers”. This web as
mentioned earlier in the study is the plethora of the different contradictory forces. This makes the
municipality as a complex system having operation in a large basis. Therefore it seems
appropriate and helpful to use complex system method to form the research problem, as
explained in the section below. In the figure below an attempt was made to explain the different
complexities in the municipal dilemma.