Southern African Power Pool: Planning and Prospects for Renewable Energy

The International Renewable Energy Agency’s power sector planning tool for Southern African countries—the System Planning Test (SPLAT) model—enables analysts to design a power system that meets various system requirements, including reliability. SPLAT also takes into account economically optimal configurations (including investment and operation costs) for the system to meet daily and seasonally fluctuating demand. Using the model, IRENA developed a Renewable Promotion scenario for continental Southern African Development Community countries. The scenario is intended to illustrate how SPLAT can be used and provide a robust starting point for planning analysts to stimulate discussion about the model’s assumptions and results. This report presents the main findings from analyzing the Renewable Promotion scenario, along with alternative scenarios.