The Windhoek wind farm only has a maximum capacity of 5.2MW but the commissioning of the project is a significant event because it represents the first commercial wind farm in South Africa. Buyelwa Sonjica, the minerals and energy minister, called it a first key step in the quest toward renewable energy.

Located in Darling, the 4 wind turbines that make up the wind farm will produce enough electricity to power around 60% of the needs of the town of Darling which has a population of around 5,000 and is located about an hour outside of Cape Town. The project has cost 75 million rand ($10 million) which has been partially funded by Denmark.

It has been estimated that the renewable energy source will save around 100,000 tons in coal consumption each year. There are plans to erect an additional 16 wind turbines to allow the wind farm to provide power to other parts of Cape Town.

More than 90 per cent of South Africa’s electricity is generated by coal-powered stations and has boasted the cheapest electricity in the world. However Eskom, the state utility has applied to have the rates increased by up to 53% to fund infrastructure upgrades.

Hopefully, this first step into renewable energy production will be the first of a growing uptake of the technology. The wind farm is about to start commercial electricity production.