- Title
- An implementation model: photovoltaic application for sustainable energy in South Africa
- Creator
- Bukula, Mvuleni
- Subject
- Energy development -- South Africa
- Subject
- Renewable energy sources -- South Africa
- Subject
- Sustainable engineering -- South Africa
- Date Issued
- 2024-04
- Date
- 2024-04
- Type
- Doctoral theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/64511
- Identifier
- vital:73743
- Description
- South African electrical grid faces significant risks that the state produced electricity supply from electricity network to premises for consumption will not meet the electricity demand. Certain sectors of the economy and essential social services such as the hospitals, the telecommunications networks, and water companies are heavily impacted on by load management, through load shedding by rotating power outages or reducing power consumption from primary sources until demand decreases. Eskom, as the major electricity supplier in South Africa's aging infrastructure, with declining reliability, substandard quality coal and large gaps between generating capacity and demand, leaves the country vulnerable to electricity blackouts. The consequences of such power outages are devastating, but no single technology solution can meet the demand. Localised backup solutions such as solar power and battery backup limit the risk of power outages and provide power security during the periods of load shedding. Quantitative research method is pursued as a systematic survey to collect quantitative data by means of sampling and submitting online survey questionnaires. After receiving the data, statistical techniques were performed through structural equation modeling to analyse the structural relationship between the measured variables and the underlying variables. This research focuses on photovoltaic applications as a means of harnessing solar energy to convert solar energy into electricity. Solar panels consist of photovoltaic cells made of semiconductors or materials that respond to the action of photons of light. Energy availability to all can promote economic development and human well-being. Without the improvements in energy efficiency and development costs of new energy technologies such as photovoltaics, the global energy system will come under even more pressure. Therefore, changes in the global trend towards a decentralised low-carbon energy system are inevitable to ensure affordable, reliable and sustainable energy access for all. This research seeks to contribute to the present challenges that are facing South Africa’s electricity supply industry by increasing the energy mix of renewable energy as compared to the fossil fuel-based electricity supply.
- Description
- Thesis (DPhil) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, School of Built Environment and Civil Engineering, 2024
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (xxiiii, 394 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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NMU School of the Built Environment
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Bukula, M.pdf | 9 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |