By: ESI Africa

Speaking with ESI Africa at the Windaba 2025, Rambau said the collocated hybrid systems were introduced formally in the Risk Mitigation Programme, and so far only one has reached commercial close.

She explained that the biggest risk with hybrid systems lies in the complexity of combining several technologies. 

“Now, the biggest risk is that you’ve got at least three technologies, some of which include a fourth. Typically, you would have PV, wind, and battery storage of some sort, or another form of storage, and in some cases, diesel. The cost is not reduced just because you’re building a hybrid; you’re not immune from paying for each of those technologies.”

However, she said, the benefit is a more predictable power profile. “Where you would have PV only available in the middle of the day, a hybrid system flattens the production of wind, solar, and storage,” Rambau explained.