Sustainable Development

Producing clean energy is an important step to preventing climate change and ensuring that energy and electricity is sustainable. Renewable energy is increasing in South Africa but, at last measurement, was still only accounting for 25% of total energy. 

Universities can support the expansion of renewable energy by funding and conducting research into new and improved technologies and by educating local, regional, and national communities on the importance of clean energy. Universities can also strive to transform their own energy use and move to renewable energy. 

SDG 7 is connected to increased economic growth and innovation (SDGs 9 and 10) and has a strong tie to preventing climate change (SDG 13). Affordable access to electricity can also help alleviate poverty (SDG 1). Like Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy aligns with the AU Goal 7: Environmentally sustainable climate resilient economies and communities. 

There are a range of programmes at Stellenbosch University that contribute towards SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy and AU Goal 7: Environmentally sustainable climate resilient economies and communities. For more information, see the Division of Social Impact’s Platform for SDG 7.

Sustainable Buildings: The SU Environmental Sustainability Pan (ESP)

Stellenbosch University is committed to conserving energy where possible. The ESP details the institution’s drive to create sustainable buildings as follows: “To include sustainable design principles aimed at reducing the environmental impact of SU construction, refurbishment, and operations.”

The goals of the plan are to meet the following milestones:  

• Carbon Neutrality by 2030 
• Carbon Net Zero by 2045  
• Net Zero by 2050 (As per the UN’s target) 

To this end, the Facilities Management Division (SUFM) are incorporating the GBCSA (Green Building Council South Africa) and SANS (South African National Standards) requirements for new buildings, and are implementing measures in existing buildings to increase energy efficiency. The ESP also outlines the University’s plan to decrease energy use across the board. Assessments have shown that approximately 70% of energy use originates from only 40 of the University’s 490 buildings. The Division has been investigation ways to reduce our carbon footprint and switching to 50% renewable energy by 2025.

“We can only manage our utilities by measuring it,” says Nadeem Gafieldien, Director: Property Services at SUFM. “That is why we’ve been working hard to put digital systems and infrastructure in place to measure our utilities such as water and electricity. Our smart metering systems provide us with valuable usage data which ensure that we can make effective decisions and react to real-time problems as and when they happen.”

• Stellenbosch University has installed smart meters in all buildings to calculate and monitor energy use. This data is used to determine which buildings are using the most electricity so that interventions can be implemented.
• Working towards energy efficiency per Unit: One of our buildings has the first A-rating for electrical consumption of 48 kWh per square metre.
• Energy-saving LED light bulbs and motion-sensing lights are being installed to reduce energy usage for lighting.
• A heating, ventilation and air conditioning precinct plant has been installed on Stellenbosch campus.
• A new Photovoltaic system was installed on the Student Centre on main campus in 2021 to reduce the energy requirements of the centre from the national power grid.
• Between 2021 and 2024 all existing buildings are to obtain GBCSA Star ratings, while new buildings are to be designed and built with a mimimum of a four-star GBCSA specifications. 

Reducing Emissions

The University is committed to reducing its gross emissions and to improve its overall energy efficiency in line with the SDGs and AU’s Goals, and the next decade will see the institution implementing a range of energy-efficient interventions to not only reduce emissions, but also to reduce operating costs. The ESP outlines a travel and mobility strategy that will reduce the environmental pollution and emissions generated by the University’s overall operations. 

The ESP further describes initiatives such as a monitoring and driver awareness programmes to increase fuel efficiency for students, staff, visitors and service providers by 2024. Other avenues, such as biodiesel and electric vehicles, are also being explored. The University also promotes behavioural changes like walking and cycling among staff and students.  

Energy for our communities

In 2021, Cloetesville Primary School in Stellenbosch became the first school in South Africa to receive an electrical performance certificate (receiving an A-rating), thanks to energy-saving technology from GreenX Engineering, a Stellenbosch University spin-out company. This initiative has grown to include 25 schools and they hope to grow throughout the whole country and eventually include corporate and government buildings as well. The initiative also allows the learners of these schools to learn about the importance of renewable energy. 

Stellenbosch University’s incubator, LaunchLab, has a division specifically aimed at climate tech start-ups: The ClimateLab aims to contribute to the fight against climate change by providing start-ups with business assistance and access to funding.

Solutions for Affordable and Clean Energy

Since 2007, SU has been contributing to renewable energy education and uptake through the Researchers at our National Research Hub, CRSES. Through the Centre, SU contributes regularly to knowledge and policy creation for sustainable energy solutions.

Together, we’ve forged important international collaborations, carried out pioneering research and hosted awareness programmes and events as we continue to build a decarbonised future for electricity generation in Africa. 

• CRSES offers degrees and accredited short courses in renewable energy, increase awareness through school outreach programmes, conferences and symposia, advocate for renewable energy and consult, all while performing high impact research in the fields of solar, wind, hydro, ocean, bio-energy and power systems. 
• CRSES provides free resources to local schools to teach students programmes about renewable energy with the aim to raise awareness about climate change and strategies for prevention and mitigation through the Green Classroom project. 
• Recently the CRSES, alongside the Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) cowrote an article on affordable energy systems for a popular publication, outlining a possible future for renewable energy in South Africa.
• The CST contributed to the Contribution to the Just Transition Framework draft process by the Presidential Climate Commission. The framework focuses on how the South African energy transition should include the justice elements in order to address the country’s triple challenge of inequality, unemployment and poverty. In this way, the framework also addresses energy poverty issues;  
• Since 2021 the CST has formed part of an external advisory team that has worked closely with some Eskom management in strategizing about the best way for an energy transition to move away from coal-based energy production, to take place. The report Making Climate Capital Work, produced by the CST and the Blended Finance Taskforce can be found here.