South African Business 2018 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE

SPECIAL FEATURE committed investments into mostly solar and wind power. The programme stalled when energy utility Eskom baulked at paying for power it said it didn’t need but the programme will restart in late 2017. Nobody does renewable energy more enthusiastically than Denmark and South Africa has entered into multiple agreements with the northern European country. Denmark is the world leader in wind power and a trend-setter in energy-efficiency building codes. According to the Danish Energy Association, the best instruments to achieve energy efficiency are building standards, equipment standards, obligation schemes for energy utilities, energy audits and tax rebates, and taxation. Architects and builders often get ahead of targets: in 2013, 30% of all new floorspace in Denmark was built to 2015 standards. In terms of energy per square metre, if the country continues to meet its targets, it will soon be at 6% of the norm in the 1970s. When a Danish building is finished, an energy audit is done before it can be used. The Energy Efficiency Directorate in the South African Department of Energy aims to optimise the energy sector through efficient use, production and consumption of energy resources. A Draft National Energy Efficiency Strategy was published in December 2016. Among the directorate’s collaborations is one with Danish Energy Management and the International Energy Agency (IEA). An advisor from the Danish Energy Association has been seconded to South Africa as part of an inter-governmental energy partnership. The Danes have created an export industry out of their expertise in energy: in 2015 it was worth about R140-billion and they want to expand it to “at least” R280-billion by 2030. GreenCape’s report on South Africa’s waste market includes some references to broader economic opportunities in the sustainable economy. Some examples: Agriculture: solar-powered irrigation (SA market, R2.9-billion) Energy services: energy efficiency retrofitting; solar PV systems; local manufacturing Utility-scale renewable energy: independent power production; rest of Africa; local manufacturing Waste: private-public partnerships, construction and demolition waste; growing reuse and recycle market Secondary materials: growing market for plastics, metals and e-waste Water: industrial water reuse; recycling and resource recovery Food value retention: better cold chain management and waste reduction; solar thermal (in agri-processing, the SA market potential is R3.7-billion); biogas. TRANSITIONING INDUSTRY TO A LOW CARBON ECONOMY The Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town was host to more than 400 delegates from industry, business and government who gathered in September 2017 to discuss how to make industry and commerce cleaner, greener and more resource efficient. The biennial Industrial Efficiency Conference of the National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa (NCPC-SA) had as its theme, “Transitioning industry to a low carbon economy” and offered workshops, presentations and panel discussions on a range of resource efficient and cleaner production (RECP) methodologies. The two-day programme offered information on better use of energy, water, materials and waste, as well as analysis of legislation and policy that may affect business operations. The presentation of successful case studies formed an integral part of the conference. The NCPC-SA is a national programme, funded by the National Department of Trade and Industry and hosted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It exists to support industrial companies to reduce their environmental impact through the use of RECP. The biennial conference is offered as one of these support mechanisms, which is why there is no cost for attendance. Both days included a non-commercial exhibition, allowing delegates to interact with government and industry programmes that may be of assistance. SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2018 32

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