Outline Step 1 of your research task: defining the problem statement for a South African energy research project.

Let's break down Step 1: Problem statement for your research task. This section is worth 10 marks and requires you to clearly define the issue you'll be investigating.

Here's how to approach it:

1. Identify the National Problem: Start by briefly explaining why South Africa faces power challenges, specifically mentioning load shedding and the country's heavy reliance on coal-fired power.
2. Localize the Impact: Choose a specific town or area within South Africa. Then, describe how the lack of reliable electricity (due to load shedding) negatively affects local businesses or schools in that chosen area. Provide concrete examples if possible.
3. Propose a Sustainable Solution: Identify a clean energy source (e.g., solar power, wind power) that could potentially address the power issues in your chosen specific area.
4. Formulate a Research Question: Conclude with a clear, focused question that links the identified clean energy source to solving the power problem in your specific chosen area. This question will guide your entire research.

For example, your problem statement might discuss how load shedding impacts a specific school in Mpumalanga, and then pose a question about how implementing solar power could provide a sustainable solution for that school.