City’s solar success: R2,6 bn in Cape Town investments, 150 000 homes powered
A report by GreenCape shows that between 2014 and 2024 the City’s small-scale embedded solar Photovoltaic (PV) programme helped to unlock approximately 713 to 1 140 full time equivalent (FTE) jobs and R1,7 bn to R2,6 bn of investment was facilitated within Cape Town. The power generated since 2024 to date is equivalent to powering about 150 000 homes.
Visual – infographic and report: https://bit.ly/4pag2qr
The City, seen as a pioneer in programmes to promote diversity of energy supply and green economy investment, has been at the heart of many other solar benefits in Cape Town.
Solar leaps
- 2014 – June 2025 authorised grid-tied systems:13 398 and installed capacity of 251,6 MVA – enough to power about 150 000 homes
- 2014 – 2024 (Greencape reporting period) authorised grid-tied systems: 6 400 and installed capacity of 140,6 MVA
‘The City’s progressive small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) solar PV promotion programme focuses on creating an enabling environment for the growth within the sector. Significantly, between 2014 and 2024, the programme attracted considerable investments of more than R2,6bn in the SSEG value chain and added over a thousand jobs in our local economy. The programme unlocked approximately 140 mega-volt amperes (MVA)through grid-tied systems, with the added capacity boosting residential and commercial customers at the peak of Eskom’s load-shedding crisis. The City’s game-changing work within the SSEG sector, resulted in approximately 6 400 authorised grid-tied SSEG systems by June 2024, unlocking Cape Town’s remarkable renewable energy potential.
‘To date though, just over a year following the City’s innovative authorisation processes and streamlining of applications in 2024, the figures are even more impressive. Authorised grid-tied systems total 13 398 and the installed capacity is 251,6 megavolt amperes as at June 2025 – enough to power about 150 000 homes.
‘Much of the development of our SSEG operations was done ahead of finalisation of national regulations, but the industry was changing every day. We had to be a bastion of proactive energy planning in heavily regulated national government legislative environments. We did this not only to help enhance energy security but to also empower both residents and businesses to become energy prosumers. The City thus established itself as a progressive, proactive and pioneering organisation at the coal face of rolling with the punches and trends as far as possible. We thank our businesses, households and the sector for being absolutely vital partners in this achievement and especially the hardworking City team that has helped to make this all happen,’ said the Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.
Some highlights include:
- The Introduction of a 25 c/kWh incentive top-up to the SSEG feed-in tariff as a boost to the sector
- Streamlining and automating application and authorisation systems via online applications
- The introduction of our cash-for-power initiatives
The City still remains hard at work to solve challenges such as the missing authorisation step: Many customers do not complete the final authorisation step to ensure legal compliance of the grid-tied system. In 2026, we will focus our efforts on expanding awareness on the authorisation steps and to ensure that systems are legal and compliant, and safe.
