Examining societal barriers to energy transition in South Africa

: opportunities for energy justice and solar energy?

Abstract

This PhD is set against the background of the increasing challenge of climate change. There is a need for the world to turn away from fossil fuels – which are the largest source of greenhouse gases - and embrace the opportunities of renewable energy. The purpose of this work is to examine a complex case study through twin questions: what barriers are preventing the large-scale deployment of South Africa’s significant resources of solar energy, and what is their significance to the delivery of energy justice in that society. The argumentation is developed through two literature reviews and a suite of 28 semi-structured interviews held with key personnel in South Africa during May and June 2018.

The results obtained involve the identification and ranking of six key societal barriers to an energy transition in South Africa, setting them in a framework of an 8-way generic taxonomy of barrier types. The South African barriers are analysed to assess not only how and why they are acting to impede an energy transition, but also how they are preventing the delivery of energy justice. The latter has led to a recommendation that the study of energy justice must concentrate on the dynamics of the subject, including a focus on outcomes rather than process, an understanding of the development of energy justice within an energy transition, and the use of measurable proxies (such as solar energy) in the place of energy justice.

The study has also developed techniques for representing both the generic barriers and the South African barriers graphically, for ease of communicating the findings. Further research applications of the approach developed in this PhD are then identified. The study concludes with policy and research recommendations to enhance the prospects of a successful – and just – energy transition in South Africa.

Date of Award	1 Dec 2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of St Andrews
Supervisor	Darren McCauley (Supervisor)