Solar Research Infrastructure for Utility Scale Innovation in South Africa

In 2016, the DSI approved the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR) with the objective of supporting local research and development by establishing world-class research facilities in South Africa. The roadmap identified the establishment of the National Solar Research Facility (NSRF) as on of the 13 possible areas of investment and this in line with the 2019 Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), White Paper wherein it emphasized that research and innovation infrastructure should be fully supported by both government and the private sector in order to be sustainable.

The DSI intends to invest in the NSRF to enable the testing and commercialisation of utility-scale renewable energy technologies by municipalities and companies, and the integration of these technologies into their operations. This could include solar PV, concentrated solar power, battery storage and hydrogen production and use. The envisaged infrastructure with the associated management systems will ideally be located in real operating environments at industrial or municipal sites.

The workshop will create an opportunity for national system of innovation stakeholders (especially industry, municipalities, financiers/ potential investors, etc.) to interact with the Department, enabling the successful development of demonstration and testing infrastructure for the effective uptake of solar energy in industrial and municipal systems.

DATE: 21 JULY 2021

TIME: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Please click here to register to the webinar

The workshop is intended to:

• share findings of a Fraunhofer Institute study on utility-scale solar research infrastructure
• provide background on the intended investment application sites for integrating solar energy systems into existing systems
• obtain input from industry and municipal stakeholders on:
  • their technology demonstration and research needs
  • funding and business models for testing and demonstration research facilities (including the potential to co-invest in such facilities)
  • the process to be used for the selection of proposals and the development of business case facilities
• answer questions and listen to suggestions from stakeholders