Mitigating Climate Change Through Renewable Energy Development

This case study explores how the City of Cape Town is mitigating climate change by scaling up renewable energy and energy efficiency (PDF, 609.47MB), published by IRENA in collaboration with the City of Cape Town and ICLEI. It explains how Cape Town is reducing its heavy dependence on coal‑based electricity by expanding renewable energy generation, particularly solar photovoltaic (PV), solar water heaters, small‑scale embedded generation (SSEG), and energy‑efficient municipal infrastructure, while navigating national regulatory and utility constraints. The report outlines the city’s policy targets, municipal initiatives, tariff structures, financing mechanisms (including green bonds), and results achieved, such as rooftop solar installations, building retrofits, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, it presents Cape Town as an example of how cities in coal‑dependent countries can use local governance, innovation, and investment to advance climate mitigation, improve energy security, and support a transition to a low‑carbon urban energy system.

Abstract based on original source.