Across the globe, climate change and the move away from fossil fuels to clean energy has created considerable opportunities for renewable energy, driving development of the “green economy”.

At the end June, the Tshwane Economic Development Agency (TEDA) held a Renewable Energy Roundtable, which it says has sparked critical thinking in the sector.

The event was hosted at the Maslow Hotel, Pretoria, and was attended by key stakeholders, investors, Tshwane municipal dignitaries and business chambers.

The strategy adopted by TEDA in November 2021 directed the organisation to focus on key priority sectors with the potential to accelerate growth in the City of Tshwane.

One of these priority sectors identified is the green economy. The TEDA’s mandate is to cultivate an environment within which the city can grow its human capital and the economy.

This is still relevant, with the expansion of the mandate to 16 broadly defined focus areas with particular attention on project portfolio management; trade and investment intelligence; trade and investment promotion and aftercare; and export promotion.

In line with this mandate, the Renewable Energy Roundtable was held as an inaugural session of a series of investment-focused TEDA roundtables to be held this year.

Upcoming events will focus on the aviation and automotive sector and agroprocessing.

At this first event, Economic Development and Spatial Planning MMC Councillor André le Roux emphasised the importance of investing in renewable energy, especially in light of the current Stage 4 to 6 load-shedding being implemented by Eskom.

“Without solving this energy crisis confronting South Africa – and, by extension, the City of Tshwane – economic growth will remain a pipe dream.”

He added that the purpose of the roundtable was to answer requests from the industry, while driving investment in renewable energy and the green economy.

During the roundtable, speakers facilitated a discussion among stakeholders in the green economy sector, providing clarity on the regulatory framework to support the sector.