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Urban Electric Hybridization: Exploring the Politics of a Just Transition in the Western Cape (South Africa)

Urban Electric Hybridization: Exploring the Politics of a Just Transition in the Western Cape... Focusing on the adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) by high-income households and businesses in the Western Cape, South Africa, the article analyzes its effects on the hybridization of urban electricity systems and the ability of municipalities to drive a just transition in cities where inequality remains very high. By reducing municipal electricity sales, decentralized solar technologies threaten the surpluses generated from charges paid by grid customers, which are essential to subsidize electricity services for the poor and support other municipal services. Based on fieldwork in four Western Cape cities, the paper shows that municipalities are implementing a variety of local arrangements (regulatory, tariff, and technical) to control distributed electricity generation and are seeking, with mixed success, to avoid a post-carbon transition model that undermines grid benefits by creating a new energy divide. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Urban Technology Taylor & Francis

Urban Electric Hybridization: Exploring the Politics of a Just Transition in the Western Cape (South Africa)

Jaglin, Sylvy
Journal of Urban Technology , Volume OnlineFirst: 23 – Nov 15, 2022
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Urban Electric Hybridization: Exploring the Politics of a Just Transition in the Western Cape (South Africa)

Abstract

Focusing on the adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) by high-income households and businesses in the Western Cape, South Africa, the article analyzes its effects on the hybridization of urban electricity systems and the ability of municipalities to drive a just transition in cities where inequality remains very high. By reducing municipal electricity sales, decentralized solar technologies threaten the surpluses generated from charges paid by grid customers, which are essential to...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2022 The Society of Urban Technology
ISSN
1466-1853
eISSN
1063-0732
DOI
10.1080/10630732.2022.2111176
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Focusing on the adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) by high-income households and businesses in the Western Cape, South Africa, the article analyzes its effects on the hybridization of urban electricity systems and the ability of municipalities to drive a just transition in cities where inequality remains very high. By reducing municipal electricity sales, decentralized solar technologies threaten the surpluses generated from charges paid by grid customers, which are essential to subsidize electricity services for the poor and support other municipal services. Based on fieldwork in four Western Cape cities, the paper shows that municipalities are implementing a variety of local arrangements (regulatory, tariff, and technical) to control distributed electricity generation and are seeking, with mixed success, to avoid a post-carbon transition model that undermines grid benefits by creating a new energy divide.

Journal

Journal of Urban Technology – Taylor & Francis

Published: Nov 15, 2022

Keywords: Rooftop PV; electric hybridization; just transition; municipal policies; South Africa

References

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