The UK Energy Systems Catapult sought to help South Africa leapfrog the errors the UK had made, in seeking to create a net-zero carbon emissions energy system. So highlighted Energy Systems Catapult advisor Brendan O’Neill, addressing the Southern African Sustainable Energy Conference (SASEC) 2024, via video link from the UK, on Thursday. SASEC was being held in Somerset West, near Cape Town.

The Catapult was an independent entity, he explained. Although it received a grant from the UK government, it was not part of the UK government. “We take a whole systems view, a holistic view,” he added, just like the aircraft industry did. They were technology agnostic, but focused on low-cost options.

The Catapult was also seeking to save South Africa from spending research and development funding, time, and expertise, to replicate what had already been done elsewhere. The aim was to leverage both South African and British expertise to ensure a just transition for industry, in both countries.

Regarding industrial decarbonisation in South Africa, the Catapult had done a scenario planning exercise. They had identified five scenarios, designated renewable energy, infrastructure development, national hydrogen hub, regional hydrogen hub, and net-zero delay.  

They had also developed lists of measures that would allow different industrial sectors (in both countries) to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. In the case of South Africa, there were key industrial sectors that could not reach net-zero unless they had an energy supply that was itself net-zero.

Of the above scenarios, it was the renewables path that would be the quickest way for South African industry to reach net-zero. It required the most capital investment, but also created the most jobs. On the other hand, the national hydrogen scenario would be the lowest cost option for industrial decarbonisation, but it was also the scenario that created the fewest jobs.

The UK Energy Systems Catapult was set up some 30 years ago, and was one of a series of such “Catapults” which covered many high-tech industrial sectors in the UK. It was based in Birmingham, and had a staff complement of about 300.