Browsing by Author "Ngcobo, Mnotho Thamsanqa"

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    An analysis of the amendments to the regulations issued in terms of the Electricity Regulation Act 4 of 2006 that empower municipalities to generate their own (renewable) electricity and purchase from Independent Power Producers
    (University of the Western Cape, 2024) Ngcobo, Mnotho Thamsanqa
    Background: South Africa, just like many other countries in the world, has an energy system that is based primarily on fossil fuels such as coal and oil. South Africa remains largely dependent on coal. Fossil fuel-based energy poses many challenges to the environment, the people, and the economy. Particularly, extractions and the processing thereof cause environmental effects and damage, including air and water pollution. The greenhouse gases emitted contribute to climate change. There have been reports of high respiratory infections among the people residing close to the plants and the workers thereof. Coal ash, the by-product of burning coal made up of small particles, including heavy metals and radioactive elements, is discarded in open-air landfills where it can be emitted into the air, contributing to air pollution in the surrounding community. Thus, leaving the residents from the nearby mines susceptible to illnesses caused by the air-pollution. The Mpumalanga province has been declared as an air quality priority area because currently, this province has amongst the worst air quality in the world, largely due to coal mining activities, uncontrollable underground fires, and power-stations burning coal. Fossil fuel-based energy is no longer the cheapest form of energy. The costs of fossil fuels-based energy depend largely on two factors, the price of the fuel that they burn and the power plant’s operating costs.