Speaking at the workshop, CSIR Energy Research Centre Manager, Dr Thabo Hlalele, emphasised the critical role of the partnership between the CSIR and AFD in supporting South Africa’s energy transition.

“As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, South Africa has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. This commitment will lead to an expanded deployment of renewable energy technologies, creating opportunities for South African enterprises to participate in the renewable energy industry and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. This collaboration between the CSIR and AFD represents a significant step towards understanding the challenges and opportunities South African enterprises face in the rapidly growing renewable energy industry,” says Dr Hlalele.

The report provides a detailed analysis of loadshedding statistics and the energy availability factor (EAF) during this timeframe.

The study compared Eskom's aggregated generation resources for 2024, including coal, nuclear, hydro, pumped storage, open cycle gas turbine, renewable energy independent power producer procurement programme, solar photovoltaic, wind and concentrated solar power with their installed capacities and energy production outputs from January to December 2024 to assess their impact on loadshedding. 

This iteration also examined national average electricity tariff increases and compared it to the tariff in other countries.

On Wednesday 12 March, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) marked the successful completion of phase one of the Ngiyaqonda! project with the handover of mobile devices to the first pilot school. Ebuhleni Primary School received the devices during a handover event hosted at the school.

There is an increasing awareness of the literacy crisis in South African schools, most notably highlighted by a report from the 2030 Reading Panel, which revealed that approximately 80% of Grade 3 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning in any language.