The main difference between EVs and hybrid cars is how they are powered. An EV gets its power exclusively from electricity, while hybrid cars – as the name suggests – run on a mix.

The place of natural gas in a clean energy future is hotly debated. But, there is a simple answer to whether natural gas is renewable.

Natural gas presents a risk to the success of the green energy transition, to the economy and to the country’s climate goals.

Global warming is making extreme events, such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, floods and tropical storms, more frequent and severe.

Transportation has a significant impact on climate change, and biofuel could be one of the solutions.

South Africa’s Low Emission Development Strategy 2050 is the country’s most recent emissions reductions plan.

South Africa’s Low Emission Development Strategy 2050 is the country’s most recent emissions reductions plan.

Hydrogen is a fuel source that is a possible alternative to fossil fuels. It can be used in fuel cells and to create heat, and its only by-product is water, meaning it does not release any greenhouse gases when burned.

A carbon footprint is the number of greenhouse gases emitted through a person, business or even a country’s activities. These greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide and methane.

A carbon tax is a fee paid to the government by carbon dioxide (or carbon dioxide equivalent) emitters for every tonne of carbon emitted.

South Africa is a coal-dependent country. Coal makes up 74 per cent of the country’s total electricity supply. In the first quarter of 2021, 81.8 per cent of South Africa’s electricity came from coal.

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound that presents as a gas in the Earth’s atmosphere. It consists of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.

Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. This can be any gas that absorbs infrared radiation and contributes to the Earth’s warming or the greenhouse effect.

Load shedding happens when selected sections of South Africa’s electricity grid are shut down. In literal terms, Eskom, the country’s power utility, “sheds” a certain “load” – or amount – of electricity from the national grid.

Compressed natural gas (CNG) is natural gas that has been compressed to less than one per cent of its volume. The gas is compressed when it is stored at very high pressures.

Biogas is a renewable energy source produced when anaerobic bacteria break down organic materials. It is different from natural gas as natural gas is a fossil fuel, while biogas is a renewable energy source.

In August 2021, South Africa’s National Business Initiative (NBI) published a government-backed report. It described the pathways that the country must take to decarbonise.

Currently, South Africa is neither a large exporter nor importer of LNG. However, there are now plans in the country to develop this fossil fuel industry.