In this essay I will discuss whether renewable energy is economically feasible in South Africa. There are many factors to consider when discussing this topic, such as the cost of creating the sources and how much it would cost to maintain them. We also need to consider how much electricity can be produced from these sources and whether it will be sufficient to support South Africa's energy use. One of the two main problems with renewable energy is the amount of usable energy generated by it compared to other forms of non-renewable energy. With our energy grid already under pressure, is it worth using renewable energy and, if it is, how will we meet the nation's energy demand? The other major problem with renewable energy is the cost of building the power plant. The new coal-fired power station, Medupi, under construction in Limpopo is expected to cost R170 billion. That's not a lot of money considering the station will run for 50 years. But can we create power plants powered by renewable energy that will be cheaper than those in Medupi, but able to operate longer? This is what I'm going to talk about. But before I delve into alternative forms of energy, I will delve into the Eskoms Medupi coal-fired power station. Once completed in late 2014, Medupi will be the largest dry-cooled coal-fired power plant in the world. The power plant will consist of 6 coal-fired boilers, each with a capacity of 800 MW, for a total capacity of 4,800 MW. This is under construction in Lephalale, Limpopo. The reason for this is mainly accessibility to coal mines and water. The coal will be sourced from the Exxaro-owned Grootegeluk coal mine, just north of the station. This means that… middle of paper… it is a form of renewable energy, accounting for 16% of global electricity production: 3,427 terawatt-hours of electricity production in 2010.” South Africa already uses several sources of hydroelectric energy. Our largest are those located in the Gariep Dam and the Drakensberg, with capacities of 360 MW and 1000 MW respectively. South Africa's largest hydropower source is currently under construction in Ingula, Kwa-Zulu Natal, with a capacity of 1332 MW. I do not believe that hydroelectric power can be the major contributor of energy to our national grid. While there are multiple sources that can contribute to hydropower like the Vaal Dam, I don't think we have one large enough to have a capacity that will have a major effect on our energy grid. But this energy source can have an effect on our energy capacity, even if it is not huge.