Chart of the Week: Ending household solar tax incentives in South Africa sparks embedded finance opportunities.

South Africa's decision to remove household solar tax incentives in February 2024 diminishes the chances of another solar photovoltaic installation surge akin to 2023’s record-breaking figure.

The capacity of imported solar photovoltaic modules surged by 223% in 2023, reaching a record high of 4.3 GW. Similarly, Eskom, the primary utility provider, reported an installation of 2.6 GW in the same period, about 60% of solar imports. This remarkable increase was driven by the government's implementation of solar tax rebates for households and businesses installing solar panels from March 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024. 

This incentive was designed to encourage households to generate their power and ease the strain on the grid from the ongoing load-shedding issue that has affected the country since 2007.

The switch to solar PV is necessitated by frequent load shedding, which worsened in 2023, totalling 332 days. Projections for 2024 are even worse, with anticipated