South African Waste-to-energy Market

Shortage of Space in Landfill Sites Drives the South African Waste-to-Energy Market

The waste-to-energy concept involves the utilisation of powerful greenhouse gases in the generation of revenue from certified emission reductions (CERs), also known as carbon credits. The extracted greenhouse gases such as methane are broken down into carbon dioxide before being used to generate electricity. Currently, the Ethekwini municipality is involved in such a project where they extract gas containing 40 per cent to 60 per cent methane and generate electricity with it using purpose-built spark ignition engines of 1000kw and 500kw. "The rapid decline in the space for landfill sites, together with the increasing volumes of waste material, have driven many countries to revisit their waste management strategies and develop more cost-effective and sustainable solutions to tackle waste," says the analyst of this research. "Waste-to-energy generation has played a pivotal role in alleviating the pressure on landfills and the disposal of any waste material that is not recyclable in South Africa."

Advanced thermal treatment processes such pylosis and gasification are becoming popular globally. However, market penetration is still very low in the South African waste-to-energy sector. The global waste-to-energy market is currently in a revival stage with strong capital investment. It will continue growing with the Asian market expected to drive the next big wave of growth. The South African energy sector is currently experiencing a critical power crisis and is in frantic need of alternative sources of energy. Although it costs approximately 32cents/kwh to produce electricity from waste, sales are a meagre 12 cents/kwh to14 cents/kwh. However, revenues can still be realised from the sale of carbon credits. The world carbon credit market was valued at $64.0 billion in 2007.

Buyers of carbon credits have continued to show strong commitment to purchase these credits. This is reflected in continued growth in the revenue streams, showing 68 countries had identified and offered to reduce 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over 3,000 projects. Private companies are currently playing a major role in the development of clean development mechanism (CDM) projects throughout South Africa. They have taken the initiative in the project development of landfill gas to electricity projects on behalf of municipalities. Their involvement in the domestic market has enhanced the availability of equipment, making it much easier to undertake projects. "Environmentalists are strongly against the incineration of any waste material," concludes the analyst. "Concerns over emissions and ash disposal are key aspects that are frequently pointed out by environmental groups."

Market Sectors

Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:

By sector:

• Municipal
• Industrial
• Medical