The South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) is expected to help secure SA’s energy future, while unlocking thousands of new jobs in the renewable energy sector.
This is according to Samantha Graham-Maré, deputy minister of electricity and energy, delivering a keynote presentation at the Future of Sustainability Conference 2025 this week.
Shedding light on the SAREM, which has been five years in the making, she pointed out it is SA’s bold step in seeking resolutions to the country’s “serious and urgent energy challenges”.
Load-shedding, she added, has slowed economic growth, hindered job creation and left millions frustrated.
In July 2023, a draft version of the SAREM was made available to the public. The plan outlines a vision, objectives and action plan for SA to enter the growing renewable energy market.
The aim of SAREM is to use the increasing demand for renewable energy and storage technologies to promote the industrial and inclusive development of associated value chains in the country. This will focus on solar and wind energy, as well as lithium-ion and vanadium-based battery technologies, she noted.
“The goal is simple: secure our energy future while unlocking economic opportunities for all South Africans. SAREM is about more than just keeping the lights on. It is about economic transformation.
“We are growing the renewable energy industry right here in SA, ensuring more solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and energy components are manufactured locally. By expanding local manufacturing, we are creating thousands of new jobs and empowering small businesses, women and young people to participate in this growing industry.
“GreenCape, which is one of our key partners, has been instrumental in helping municipalities and businesses unlock investment in renewables. Their work has already attracted over R42 billion in green investments and created more than 19 000 jobs,” explained Graham-Maré.
To build resilience, SA must train, upskill and support entrepreneurs in the energy space – from solar panel installation technicians, to advanced battery storage engineers.
“The green economy will only succeed if we have the right people to drive it forward,” she added.
Focus on localisation
She highlighted the importance of localising the renewable energy supply chain as a strategic necessity.
By developing its own manufacturing capabilities, SA will reduce reliance on imports, create high-value jobs and ensure it is self-sufficient in its clean energy future, asserted Graham-Maré.
Municipalities, she added, will play a huge role in this transition by working with private energy providers and investing in clean energy projects that benefit their communities.
The Department of Energy and Electricity is identifying municipalities for pilot programmes, where innovative renewable energy projects will be implemented to test scalable solutions. These pilots will serve as real-world case studies, helping SA refine strategies for wider national adoption, she continued.
“Thiswillonlysucceedifmunicipalitiesestablishthenecessarypolicyenvironment, and we will assist them to benchmark with other municipalities that have successfully navigated this process to lay the groundwork for the future.”
SAREMalsofocusesonresearch,innovationandtechnologydevelopment.The department is working with universities and research institutions to drive advancements in battery storage, grid management and energy-efficiency solutions. These innovations, she added, will ensurerenewableenergyremainsstableandreliable,evenwhenthesunisnot shining, or the wind is not blowing.
“To make this happen, we need partnerships − between government, the private sector and civil society. One such partnership is with GreenCape, whose work in simplifyingtheinvestmentprocess,removingredtapeanddrivingmunicipalenergy solutions has shown us that these partnerships work.”
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