Given that SA enjoys twice as much sunshine as does Britain, it is astounding to learn that, for the first time, this cloudy little land has been able to generate via solar power no less than 25% of its energy needs. The UK now has solar power generation equal to the output of eight new-generation nuclear reactors. Solar energy prices are falling at a rate that experts describe as "collapsing". So why, in our benighted country, are we seemingly bent on buying vastly expensive nuclear reactors from Russia, where the sun rarely shines? The whole of Africa has sunshine all year. The annual 24-hour global solar radiation average in SA is about 220W/m² (watts per square metre), compared with about 150W/m² for parts of the US and about 100W/m² for Europe and the UK. Solar energy is the most readily accessible resource in SA. It lends itself to a number of potential uses and the solar-equipment industry is developing. Annual photovoltaic panel assembly capacity totals 5MW and a number of c...
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