South Africa has 6,505MW of installed renewable energy capacity that generates power for the national electricity grid, according to [Eskom](https://www.ntcsa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Weekly_System_Status_Report_2025_w09.pdf). A key driver of renewable energy capacity has been the government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Launched in 2011, it was designed to facilitate private sector investment in renewable energy projects that connect to the national grid through a competitive tender process. Since its inception, 116 projects have been approved, in seven bid windows. Ninety-one of these projects are operational.Forty REIPPPP projects are wind farms. Although there are more solar projects than wind projects, at present the wind farms are generating more electricity for the grid.But there’s a snag. The areas that are rich in solar and wind resources – the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Western Cape – have run out of grid capacity, according to Eskom’s Generation Connection Capacity Assessment: 2025.Get the data used in this chart on DataDesk