Abstract:
Wide-scale deployment of variable renewable energy (wind and solar photovoltaic) is constrained by its
associated requirements for energy storage, the technologies for which are currently too expensive to be
routinely used. Concentrated solar power (CSP), with its inherent storage capacity, offers semi-dispatchable
electricity at large scale. However, its deployment to date has been restricted by high capital costs
and the limited geographical locations with optimal solar radiation to attain required efficiencies. South
Africa, with its abundant solar resources, has the potential to develop an export-competitive CSP industry
by leveraging existing capabilities in innovation, manufacturing and construction, but has yet to
attain this goal. This study applied a qualitative, exploratory approach and the framework of technological
innovation systems (TIS) to understand the factors that are currently prohibiting the country from
being a global leader in CSP. The assessment has revealed the presence of largely immature TIS, characterised
by a heavy reliance on imported technology and market support from the state-supported procurement
programme. The advancement of CSP remains contingent on further allocation of CSP procurement
targets in this programme and sufficient support to develop entrepreneurial activity. An integrated
industrial policy strategy, which can ensure technology transfer and address the high cost of CSP,
is recommended as a means of addressing the barriers to its development as a competitive industry.
