2nd Edition: The Local Government Association Perspective
The South African-German Energy Programme (SAGEN) is running a series of articles featuring accomplished women in the embedded generation (EG) space, a traditionally male dominated industry to celebrate Women’s Month. We begin the series this week with a focus on municipal utilities, as one of the key changemakers in the space.
Lerato Libate from the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) shared her career journey, providing insights into EG trends and the impactful work they are leading and supporting municipalities with. SALGA is a long-standing partner and collaborator of the Embedded Generation Support Programme from 2017, guiding the development of the programme to ensure municipalities are adequately equipped to proactively respond to the emerging opportunities and challenges that embedded generation (EG) presents in the electricity distribution industry.
For more information on the EG Support Programme, please contact Ms Sayuri Chetty, Senior Technical Advisor for Embedded Generation and Urban Transitions or visit our open-access, one-stop resource portal for all things embedded generation: https://www.sseg.org.za/.
What is the current status quo in the national municipal space when it comes to EG? What are some of the key trends in the EG sector that you’re noticing?
The EG Support Programme has achieved significant milestones. There has been a noticeable upward trend in municipalities’ ability to process and manage applications. In the previous year, more than 77 municipalities (47% of municipal distributors) implemented formal application processes. This marks a significant increase from the 44 reported in 2020. Furthermore, the number of partner municipalities serves as a true testament to the value and importance of the Programme. In 2024, we reported a total of 115 partner municipalities. With the continued growth of registered capacity, as indicated by the EG survey, some municipalities have taken additional steps to credit their customers for exporting to the grid, while others are still awaiting approval from their councils.
In terms of trends, customers and local businesses are seeking alternatives to Eskom. Over the years, electricity has become expensive; as such, municipal customers are looking for more reliable and affordable electricity. There has been an upward trend in the uptake of solar PV in both residential and commercial customers as the SALGA Status of Embedded Generation Report shows.
Please give us a brief description of what your daily job entails or a summary of your tasks.
As a Technical Advisor seconded to the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), I am responsible for supporting SALGA and municipalities with technical advice on a broad range of energy-related topics and navigating the challenges thereof. I also function as a link between SALGA’s energy activities and SAGEN, as well as the GIZ South Africa Energy Cluster [umbrella unit for all the energy focused programmes at GIZ South Africa].
What attracted you to the energy/EG space, or tell us about your career journey that led you to this point?
I always say energy chose me. What attracted me to this space was the developmental approach through which programmes and projects are designed to bring about change. Energy is the heart that drives the country’s economy, and being involved in a space that delivers solutions and contributes to sustainable development has made the journey worthwhile.
Can you describe the essence of the Embedded Generation Support Programme from your perspective?
The Embedded Generation Support Programme, proudly endorsed and supported by SALGA, is an enabling initiative that was designed to support and capacitate municipalities in understanding the process, requirements, and implications of connecting generating energy sources to their local network.
What are some of the common challenges municipalities face when it comes to EG, and how does the EG Support Programme aim to tackle that?
Challenges that municipalities face can be categorized into technical, financial, and human resources. This typically unfolds in the following areas: a knowledge deficit about EG, lack of policy or guiding legal frameworks, skills shortages, dilapidated infrastructure, and data. The EG Support Programme helps to capacitate municipalities in understanding the technical, governance, and resource requirements of managing the operation of additional generation sources to their municipal networks. Furthermore, it provides municipalities with guidelines on aspects of policy, contracting, compliance, customer relations, and tariffs.
How does a programmatic approach work for rendering this kind of institutional, human and operational capacity building support to municipalities compared to an ad-hoc conventional approach?
The programmatic approach works because it pushes the municipalities to take ownership of the design and implementation of EG processes in their individual municipality. The capacity-building support provides interventions that are suitable and tailored to the needs of each municipality. A long-term approach is used in capacity building, wherein an online portal, templates, and guidelines are made available to facilitate learning beyond in-person training sessions. The use of live demonstration and site visits reinforces the effectiveness of the training. It also contributes to the effectiveness of the programme. The post-training engagements are continued to further support municipalities with access to resources that will assist them in applying what they have learned. Monitoring and evaluation are also instrumental in tracking the progress of putting in EG application systems into place in municipalities.
With 77 municipalities with official Council approved processes in place as of Dec 2024, would you consider this programme a success?
Definitely, this should be counted as a success for the programme. The reality in municipalities is, unless something is approved by Council (as the resolution of the municipality), it becomes a challenge to advocate for a change in approach or even have resources allocated to participate in such programmes and lead the work in their municipalities.
The EG Support Programme has made an undeniable impact on municipalities, also highlighting the importance of partner collaboration. As a sector we can definitely leverage the results, lessons learned, and knowledge products that were produced as a result of this work.
As SALGA, what is your call to action for municipalities when it comes to putting together a comprehensive, fair and transparent process for EG customers?
It is of paramount importance for municipalities to have an application process in place for the purpose of transparency and accountability. This is also necessary for the technical requirements, enforcing compliance, grid capacity, and network management. Furthermore, as a monitoring and control measure, it enables tracking the uptake of EG applications and the management of agreement between the municipality and the customer.
Lasly, what advice would you give young women who want to be in the EG/energy space?
Do not limit yourself by what you know. Be open to learning and make the most of every opportunity that will help you grow in this space. Lastly, invest in building good relationships.
End of interview.
