South Africa Needs Alternatives to Coal
By
To the Editor,
South African coal mining must be replaced with solar and wind farms if we want to protect the environment. South Africa is the worst polluter in all of Africa and is also one of the worst polluters in the world. South Africa has actually seen an increase in emissions in 2018-2019. These emissions contain some of the most deadly air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. Many countries have looked at alternatives to coal and have been able to switch energy production to solar and wind, South Africa must do the same.
South Africa’s coast line is an ideal location for wind energy. The Department of Energy (DoE), with international support, developed the Wind Atlas for South Africa (WASA I), which shows fair potential for wind energy in the coastal areas and inland.
South Africa has an average of more than 2,500 hours of sunshine per year and average direct solar radiation levels range between 4.5 and 6.5 kWh/m2 per day. Given the fact that South Africa has such an emormous amount of sunshine, they need to embrace this form of energy.
Knowing the pollution that is created and the damage that it does to the environment, we must get away from using coal. Solar and wind energy souces are the way to go. South African can use their geography and hot weather to replace coal with solar and wind. This must be done to protect our environment.
Joey R
References
https://theconversation.com/the-case-for-turning-south-africas-coal-fields-into-a-renewable-energy-hub-138315
https://qz.com/africa/1946022/south-africa-saw-a-rise-in-carbon-emissions-in-2019/
https://www.get-invest.eu/market-information/south-africa/renewable-electricity-potential/