The impact of residential rooftop solar PV on municipal finances: An analysis of Stellenbosch

Abstract

Electricity utilities throughout the world are responding to the increased uptake of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV)

Adoption of residential rooftop solar PV systems in South Africa: A scoping review of barriers

“…The lack of support could be attributed to the fact that both municipalities and Eskom generate their revenue through selling conventional grid energy, hence, a transition to solar PV could compromise their income. For example, a study on the impact of grid connected solar PV on municipal revenue in Stellenbosch, found that municipality would lose about 0.6–2.4 % in revenue, if households transitioned to solar PV [ 83 ]. Municipalities in South Africa are responsible for selling about 40 % of energy and as part of diversifying the energy mix, efforts have been made to purchase energy from rooftop house-owners [ 84 ].…”

Household tipping points in the face of rising electricity tariffs in South Africa

“…At the same time, technological developments, and the falling cost of technologies such as rooftop PV systems, batteries, solar roof tiles, etc., imply that electricity demand is becoming more elastic and households are becoming less reliant on utilities. This trend towards decentralized energy production will bring about significant structural changes to the electricity sector (Korsten et al 2017), globally and in South Africa.…”

“…A similar case study was done for the Stellenbosch municipality in South Africa. Korsten et al (2017) found that the municipality could have lost 2.4 per cent of its total municipal electricity revenue in the 2013-14 financial year if all households that were able to do so, from a technical perspective, had invested in rooftop solar PV. Unlike the current research, these studies focus on a particular area and technology.…”