The country's first wind energy farm, opened in Darling on Friday, will help solve the national energy crisis.
And the Western Cape, with optimal renewable resources, is leading the way for green energy.
Despite South Africa's limited experience with wind energy, the national ministry of minerals and energy is confident the Darling wind farm will lessen the energy burden plaguing the national energy regulator, Eskom.
The wind farm, officially opened by Minerals and Energy Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, will supply energy directly into the Eskom grid. The City of Cape Town also has a long-term power-purchase agreement with the plant.
It was funded by the Central Energy Fund, the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Danish government. The Darling Independent Power Producer was the plant's private developer.
The R7-million farm has a 25-year lifespan. It has four turbines with the capacity to generate 5,2 MW of electricity. In comparison, the Koeberg nuclear power station has two 900 MW units, with the capacity to generate 1800 MW of electricity.
The four 50m tall turbines are strategically placed on the farm for the best position to harness wind. They will only start turning once wind speeds reach 14km/h.
Government officials are confident the project will transform the Western Cape into the flagship for renewable energy.
At the opening ceremony on Friday, Sonjica said the farm would stimulate foreign investment in country's renewable energy projects. The plant would also help reach national targets of using 10 000 gigaWatts of renewable energy by 2013.
"These are ambitious targets and we must move very fast to reach them. But we are nowhere near exhausting our potential for wind farming. We must exploit our renewable energy resources."
One stumbling block was that South Africa did not have the capacity to build or fund such projects. Assistance from foreign governments would be called on to "upscale" the farm, said Sonjica.
Though she admitted that the farm was just one step in the right direction, she added that the government would commit more funds to renewable energy projects, moving the focus from nuclear energy.
"Nuclear energy has served the country for 20 years and that is why it is easier to obtain funding for projects of that kind."
The potential to harness renewable energy in other parts of the country was also being investigated, in areas like the Eastern Cape.
She said this would help break Eskom's monopoly on energy, adding that interest from the private sector would be stimulated.
With every energy venture climate change implications also needed to be considered.
Tasneem Essop, the provincial MEC for environment, planning and economic development, said the Western Cape was especially vulnerable to climate change.
"We've had droughts and flash floods. We are aware that we need to mitigate climate change. The Western Cape is the best place for renewable energy and we are looking at all forms, like solar and wave energy."
Essop believed growth in the sector would yield economic benefits.
The department was developing an economic sector cluster for renewable energy. She said she would give details during her budget speech in the provincial legislature next week.
Hermann Oelsner, the CEO of Darling Wind Power, agreed that the Western Cape and South Africa's weather patterns and location was optimal for green energy projects.
Fossils fuels would become scarce, and were more expensive to decommission than renewable energy plants.
