Highlight #1 – Launch of the Energy Transition Webinar Series

We launched this series at the start of 2022 and here we are today – four episodes later!

To reach the 2050 Climate Goals and to decarbonize our industries, we will require breakthroughs in technological frontiers for energy generation, storage, production, transport and consumption. There certainly is a race for cleaner, more efficient, smarter energy! More specifically, we think this is an important conversation to have, as we as Team South Africa, have a lot to offer in terms of the supporting the adoption of the energy transition.

Our aim with this webinar series is:

• to create awareness on the different topics relating to the just energy transition,
• help people have more informed debates, discussions and decision making when it comes to the just energy transition.
• We are also very keen on building partnerships with others who share similar interests s so that we can leverage synergies to ensure that this green transition is indeed just and effective.

This series of webinars included:

• Our first episode Focus on smart manufacturing and the opportunities that lie within SEZs.
• Our second webinar further explored the energy transition and unpacked the opportunities for Saldanha Bay as a green hydrogen hub.
• Our third webinar did a market scan of energy transition opportunities in Southern Africa as well as the social and environmental impacts of the energy transition.
• The fourth webinar looked at how we can accelerate proudly South African clean tech innovations and bring these solutions to market in time.

If you missed the previous webinars, you can watch the recordings on Youtube!

Highlight #2 –  Launch of the Energy Investment Village to foster Clean Technology Innovations

On 5 October at the CTICC, 10 clean energy start-ups pitched their companies to an audience of 100+ delegates at the Green Energy Africa Summit and Africa Oil week, and a panel of judges from supporting partners.

The Energy Investment Village is a joint venture between Saldanha Bay Innovation Campus, the Research Institution for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), and Green Energy Africa Summit to directly support South African business in accessing international finance for project development. The carefully created programme consisted of ten pre-selected companies at development and prototype phase who require finance partners to develop their energy projects in South Africa.The aim of the Green Energy Investment Village pitching event was:

• To fast-track projects to financial close and into commercialization
• To assist investors is securing visibility on truly bankable projects
• To support local developers with access to international finance

The winner of the competition was Brayfoil Technologies, a team designing the future of wind turbine blades – biomimicry-inspired compliant structures that change shape like bird’s wings to enable larger turbines and lower costs of energy.  Their first pilot turbine is currently being installed in Stellenbosch, Western Cape and is funded by TIA. Once proven that this can work at scale, Brayfoil plans to scale up into utility scale wind turbines.

A special thank you to ASBN, FNB, JSE and SASOL for their generous contribution to the prizes.

We are excited and planning is already underway for the Energy Investment Village 2023.