Charting the Course for Sustainable Energy Development: The State of Energy Storage in South Africa’s Decarbonization Efforts

South Africa remains one of the countries with an emission-intensive power sector and is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The bulk of the country's energy needs are met by coal-fired plants. However, recent policy developments have shown that the country is making deliberate efforts to incorporate cleaner energy sources into its energy mix, paving the way for a transition from a heavily coal-reliant power system to a decarbonized power system. One of the biggest arguments of the critics of a decarbonized power system is that renewable/clean energy sources are intermittent and therefore unreliable. Energy storage has been identified as the key to solving the intermittency issues associated with renewable energy and will play a major role in the decarbonization and green energy transition movement in South Africa. Though there are various literatures highlighting the various energy storage technologies available, there is a gap in literature with special focus on the state of energy storage technologies in South Africa. This research work aims to fill that gap and seeks to contribute to the academic discourse on sustainable energy development and provide policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers with a comprehensive overview of the critical role energy storage plays in South Africa's decarbonization journey.