South Africa Signs Renewable Energy Deals Amid Outages

South Africa has signed the first three agreements to increase its renewable energy supplies and reduce reliance on coal-fired power stations. <br />Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe led the deal-signing event with independent producers to supply wind energy. <br />The country is enduring acute energy shortages, with its state energy provider, Eskom, suffering from a lack of investment amid allegations of corruption. <br />Coal is used to generate 80% of South African electricity but under the deal, energy output will increase by 10% through private investment in wind and solar projects.