The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) will host a Renewable Energy Dialogue to discuss key issues critical to supporting the efforts to end loadshedding in South Africa on the Gordon Institute of Business Science's (GIBS') campus in Illovo, Johannesburg, on April 20.
The dialogue will focus on unpacking executive decision, analytics and strategy consultancy Meridian Economics' report on 'Resolving the Power Crisis: Insights from 2022' and unpack the report on resolving the power crisis by adding more renewable energy into the Eskom power grid.
The issue of the ongoing energy crisis in South Africa dates as far back as 2007, and it has been made worse in recent years by a mixture of poor planning, poor governance, malfeasance and lack of alignment with regards to the future energy mix for South Africa's energy security, the NSBE says.
"The impact on the economy has been devastating. The conference programme offers a stage for dynamic discussion and debate on the complexity of renewable energy and how it can be used wisely as an intermittent energy source to support the Eskom power grid to avoid loadshedding," it says of the event.
GIBS senior lecturer Dr Michele Ruiters will preside over the opening and welcoming, while NSBE president Mdu Mlaba will make the opening statement. Meridian Economics energy systems modelling head Peter Klein will then discuss 'Resolving the power crisis by adding more Renewable Energy into the Eskom Transmission Grid'.
A panel discussion will then add further views to the discussions before the closing remarks will be made by development finance institution Development Bank of Southern Africa group executive Mohan Vivekanandan.