Synergies for renewable energy research in the Southern African Development Community
The international Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) held a working meeting in cooperation with Polytechnic Namibia on synergies for renewable energy research in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The meeting followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Polytechnic Namibia, the University of Lesotho, the University of Botswana, Durban University of Technology and the University of Pretoria to form a new partnership, the Regional Energy Forum.
With this basis for collaboration on renewable energy and energy efficiency, universities will be able to work more effectively with international organisations such as IRENA or the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); national development agencies, from countries such as the United States, Denmark and Germany; programmes such as the Wind Atlas for South Africa; and Southern Africa’s Regional Electricity Regulators Association (RERA).
The Regional Energy Forum’s draft annual work programme, proposed during the meeting, allocates activities, which each partner will carry out once the work programme is approved. The draft comes in the context of the SADC Secretariat’s Renewable Energy Strategy and Action Plan (RESAP), which foresees a cumulative investment in renewable energy of USD 300 billion by 2030, requiring intensified planning and coordination in the region.