Search Climate Insights Directory

The document proposes a shift in South Africa's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem from a jobs-centric approach to one based on 'economic wellbeing,' which includes dignified labour, household care, ecosystem provisioning, and state infrastructure. To support the green hydrogen (GH2) economy, it recommends establishing a skills governance working group, creating green economy skills incubator hubs for experimentation, and adopting innovative financing like social and development impact bonds. Additionally, it advocates for a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) funded by GH2 project profits to redistribute wealth from common resources and ensure a just energy transition, addressing historical land ownership disparities.

The document proposes a shift in South Africa's TVET sector from a jobs-centric model to a 'wellbeing economy' framework to support the emerging green hydrogen (GH2) sector. It advocates for 'skills governance'—integrating foresight, planning, and anticipation—to address unemployment and inequality. Key recommendations include establishing a skills governance working group, creating green economy skills incubator hubs, adopting innovative financing like social impact bonds, and implementing a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) to redistribute wealth from common resources used in GH2 projects.

The document details technical improvements to the BWDSS, including the development of a PostgreSQL timeseries provider, the creation of maintenance scripts to optimize database size, and a guide for operationalizing FEFLOW groundwater models. It identifies performance bottlenecks in specific jobs and recommends the implementation of regular maintenance tasks and improved error handling in Python scripts to enhance system resilience.

The South African energy services market is expanding, driven by rising electricity costs, energy insecurity, and falling technology prices. The market is divided into small-scale embedded generation (SSEG), energy storage, and energy efficiency, with a total available market estimated at R131 billion by 2035. While rooftop solar PV is the dominant SSEG technology, energy storage is emerging as a critical tool for resilience against load shedding. Energy efficiency faced contractions during COVID-19 lockdowns but retains significant untapped potential. The report identifies emerging opportunities such as Solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), behind-the-meter battery storage, and smart metering, while highlighting the role of the Western Cape as a regional hub for green economy investment.

The report outlines the South African utility-scale renewable energy landscape, focusing on the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019. It highlights a significant transition from coal-dominated generation toward wind and solar PV, with an estimated potential market value of R418 billion for these technologies and distributed generation. Key opportunities include the continuation of REIPPPP bid windows, increased local manufacturing of components, and the growth of utility-scale battery storage. However, the sector faces barriers such as Eskom's financial instability, regulatory uncertainty, and the complexities of unbundling the national utility.

The document details the adaptive measures taken by the City of Cape Town (CCT) and GreenCape to ensure green economy skills training continued during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. By shifting to virtual learning platforms, adjusting technical course protocols, and providing remote training, the partnership aimed to build economic resilience and empower youth in Atlantis to access opportunities within the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ). Key outcomes include the reach of over 115 learners through IkamvaYouth and 129 people trained via Lesedi Training Academy.

The report outlines opportunities for industrial symbiosis in two Cape Town industrial zones. In Montague Gardens, it highlights the reuse of boiler ash in brick making, the need for treated wood waste solutions, and the potential to shift freight from road to rail. In Atlantis, it identifies opportunities for reusing foundry sand and ash, recovering precious metals from e-waste, and investing in waste-to-energy infrastructure such as pyrolysis and gasification plants. The document argues that establishing a central management body and fostering collaboration on shared services and material exchanges are essential for building business resilience and creating low-carbon zones.

The report outlines the growth of South Africa's utility-scale renewable energy market, driven by the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2019). It highlights a potential market value of R418 billion for solar PV, wind, and distributed generation by 2030. Key opportunities include the upcoming Bid Window 5, local manufacturing of PV panels and wind towers, and the deployment of utility-scale batteries. The document also discusses the unbundling of Eskom into generation, transmission, and distribution entities to improve market competition and transparency.

The document examines the IkamvaYouth programme in Atlantis, South Africa, which provides tutoring, mentoring, and career guidance to Grade 8-12 learners. It highlights the link between low education levels and high unemployment, noting that over 50% of unemployed people in 2018 had less than a matric qualification. The programme aims to create a skills pipeline for the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), a greentech manufacturing hub. In 2017, 94% of IkamvaYouth students in Atlantis passed their matric exams, compared to lower rates at feeder schools. However, the programme faces significant local challenges, including gang violence and poor internet connectivity, which hinder tutor recruitment and learner retention.

The Oversight Committee (OC) determined that the elections for the ASEZ-CSN were "fair, free and transparent" and aligned with the established Terms of Reference (ToR). The process involved a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative voting results with qualitative vetting based on criteria such as diversity, organisational citizenship, SEZ knowledge, and activism. While the overall process was successful, the OC noted that some nominees failed to meet eligibility criteria in initial rounds, necessitating second-round elections for the Youth and Education sectors. The final ASEZ-CSN is described as a "truly diverse, represented forum" reflecting the demographics of the Atlantis community.

The Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge (AREC) is an annual non-curriculum inter-school competition for junior and high school students in Atlantis, South Africa. Launched in 2016 by GreenCape and the City of Cape Town, the programme aims to combat high youth unemployment by exposing learners to the renewable energy sector and the opportunities provided by the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ). The competition has evolved from a high-school pilot to include junior schools and diverse themes—ranging from wind and solar energy to community murals—to engage students across various disciplines, including the arts. By 2019, participation grew to 389 students from 14 schools. The programme focuses on fostering creativity, teamwork, and career guidance to prepare youth for a changing global economy and the local growth of green technology manufacturing.

The Enterprise Development Programme (EDP), initiated by GreenCape in 2017, aims to foster green economic growth in Atlantis, South Africa, by converting waste streams into business opportunities. Building on material flow analyses from the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP), the EDP provides training and incubation to entrepreneurs to create viable business plans for waste diversion. While early phases focused on start-ups, later iterations shifted toward adding value to established businesses to reduce inherent start-up risks. Key lessons include the need for product development specialists and the challenge of high costs associated with imported recycling technologies.

The document describes a partnership between the University of Cape Town’s d-school, GreenCape, and the City of Cape Town to introduce design thinking to youth. It focuses on a workshop for 180 Grade 6 learners from Wesfleur Primary School in Atlantis, using the challenge of saving water during a drought to teach human-centred problem solving. The study concludes that while young children can engage with the process, the approach is most effective for students in Grades 10-12.

The report finds that while there is a general availability of skilled labour in Atlantis, many qualified residents commute to Cape Town, leaving local businesses to report skills shortages. It argues that the future of the A-SEZ lies in medium-sized, value-adding green businesses rather than mega-factories, as the utility-scale renewable energy market has been hindered by poor government implementation of the REIPPPP. The audit identifies a critical gap in 'soft skills' and STEM competencies, alongside systemic failures in the local education sector, particularly at West Coast College, which serves non-local students more than residents. Recommendations include a 'whole of society' approach to education, the establishment of a community ICT centre, and targeted bursaries for high-tech tooling training.

The document details the creation of the ASEZ-CSN, a representative community forum designed to connect the local workforce and businesses in Atlantis to opportunities within the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) for Green Technologies. It outlines the election process managed by GreenCape, the eight sectors represented in the network, and how the structure aims to foster a 'social license to operate' through transparent communication and skills development.

The report examines the South African utility-scale renewable energy market, focusing on the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and the 2018 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). It highlights the transition from a coal-dominated energy mix toward wind and solar, detailing the economic impact of the REIPPPP, emerging opportunities in municipal procurement and project refinancing, and the role of the Western Cape as a greentech hub.

The After School Game Changer (ASGC) is a strategic coordination model in the Western Cape, South Africa, designed to prevent youth violence by enhancing the quality and accessibility of afterschool care. Rather than a single program, it acts as a mechanism to align government departments, NGOs, and the City of Cape Town to provide academic, sporting, and cultural activities for learners in low- and no-fee schools. The report argues that the ASGC functions as a violence prevention tool by disrupting risky behaviors through the social ecological model, focusing on individual, relationship, and community-level interventions. Key achievements include increasing the number of registered learners to 134,380 in 2017/18, though the report notes a lack of budget transparency and a need for better reporting on how the intervention specifically addresses violence risk factors.

The South African energy services market, comprising small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) and energy efficiency, is driven by rising electricity costs and falling technology prices. The rooftop solar PV market is particularly strong in the commercial and industrial sector, with a projected total available market of R75 billion by 2035. Energy storage is identified as a future keystone of the SSEG market, with a potential value of R14.5 billion by 2035. Energy efficiency opportunities are estimated to reach R21 billion by 2035, with significant potential in green building and manufacturing. The report also highlights innovative financing mechanisms like Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) and the role of the Western Cape as a regional greentech hub.

The report highlights the South African agriculture sector as a robust investment environment, particularly in the Western Cape, which contributes 24% of the national agricultural GDP. It identifies key growth areas in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), drone technology for precision farming, and renewable energy, while emphasizing water scarcity as a primary driver for the adoption of these green technologies.

The South African energy services market is expanding due to rising electricity costs, decreasing technology prices, and supportive policies. Growth is primarily driven by the commercial and industrial sectors, particularly through rooftop solar PV and energy efficiency retrofits. While national regulations have lagged behind the rapid uptake of small-scale embedded generation (SSEG), local municipalities, especially in the Western Cape, are developing their own guidelines to unlock investment. Significant opportunities exist in public building retrofits, the water-energy nexus in municipal wastewater treatment, and industrial solar thermal applications in the food and beverage sector.