UCT Sustainability and the SDGs 2022 - Magazine - Page 20
SDG 7
AFFORDABLE
AND CLEAN
ENERGY
Access to reliable electricity remains one of Africa’s
greatest development challenges, with more than 600
million people across the continent still living without
it. Yet this challenge also o昀昀ers an opportunity for
innovation, to leapfrog traditional, carbon-intensive
energy systems and move directly towards clean,
reach end-of-life, while encouraging students and staff to
the continent, the lab fosters collaboration, knowledge
switch off systems when not in use. In 2024, UCT advanced its
exchange and evidence-based solutions to improve
on-site renewable energy capability through work on a solar
energy access, reliability and sustainability.
photovoltaic rooftop installation totalling approximately 300
kW-peak across the Baxter Theatre, the Graduate School of
Business and the Meulenhof administration building. Design
Research and Innovation
work also commenced for a large rooftop solar system at the
health sciences campus.
Taking Africa from biomass to green gas
The university also issued a tender to procure signi昀椀cantly
One-third of the world’s population lacks access to clean
higher volumes of electricity from off-site solar and wind
household energy. Nearly one billion of these people live
farms, enabling UCT to purchase clean energy directly
in sub-Saharan Africa and are forced to rely on fuels such
from independent power producers. This strategy forms a
as biomass (e.g., wood), coal and kerosene to cook and
critical pillar of UCT’s dual aim: reducing operational energy
to heat their homes.
costs while cutting its carbon emissions substantially when
on-site renewables cannot meet total demand.
Although these fuels are cheap and accessible, they’re
inef昀椀cient and highly polluting, with serious health
consequences for those breathing the smoke. Currently
Community engagement
renewable and equitable power solutions.
A global green fuel partnership between Germany and
South Africa is paving the way for a sustainable world.
the safer alternative is liqui昀椀ed petroleum gas (LPG), but
this is still a fossil fuel.
As part of the GreenQUEST project, a multidisciplinary
research consortium made up of partners from industry
Building capacity for Africa’s energy transition
and various scienti昀椀c disciplines in southern Africa and
The Power Futures Lab (PFL), based at UCT’s Graduate
Germany, and funded by the German Federal Ministry
School of Business, works to advance equitable access
of Education and Research, UCT’s Catalysis Institute is
to clean and affordable energy across Africa. Through its
developing a green lique昀椀ed fuel gas (gLFG) derived from
Towards clean energy
executive education programmes, professional training
renewable hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide which
UCT is deeply committed to becoming an environmentally
and policy advisory work, the lab equips energy leaders
can potentially offer households the same convenience as
sustainable campus, as evidenced by the Environmental
from government, power utilities and the private sector
LPG but with a near-zero carbon footprint.
Sustainability Strategy which aims to guide the university
with tools to manage power-sector reform and renewable-
towards becoming a net-zero carbon campus by 2050.
energy transition.
Institutional initiatives
Working
in
collaboration
with
German
partners
and industry, the interdisciplinary team is integrating
At present, around 50-60% of the university’s carbon
This work represents a form of community engagement
footprint is attributable to building energy consumption,
through capacity building, extending UCT’s expertise far
clean fuel viable for low-income communities.
much of which relies on coal-based electricity. In response,
beyond the university to strengthen public institutions and
This project has the potential for African communities using
UCT is systematically replacing older, inef昀椀cient lighting and
empower decision-makers who serve millions of energy
biomass to leapfrog fossil fuels for cooking and heating,
equipment with energy-ef昀椀cient alternatives as components
users. By convening these decision-makers from across
moving straight to clean energy alternatives.
40 - Sustainability and the SDGs 2024
technology, economics and societal dynamics to make
Sustainability and the SDGs 2024 – 41
