The University of Cape Town (UCT) has signed a power purchase agreement with Discovery Green for wheeled renewable electricity that will account for up to 90% of the electricity consumed across the institution’s main and health sciences campus from the third quarter of 2027 onwards.

The near-ten-year PPA is described as the first of its kind concluded in South Africa between an electricity trader and a public institution of higher education.

It was signed following a pilot in April 2025 with Ampli Energy, a joint venture between Discovery Green and Sasol, and in response to the limitations UCT has in being able to add solar PV directly to its rooftops.

“With the many old heritage buildings on most of its campuses, UCT has limited roof space that it can add solar PV onto, meaning that we have to look off-campus to increase our purchase of renewable energy,” environmental sustainability director Manfred Braune explained in a statement.

“How it works is that the physical electrons from [off-site] solar and wind farms do not necessarily arrive at UCT’s campuses, but the energy is injected into the grid from Discovery Green’s wind and solar farms which are contributing to the national pool of green energy produced.

“UCT receives a financial credit each month equivalent to the saving achieved on renewable energy purchased from Discovery’s renewable energy plants versus the Eskom price,” Braune added.

This aligns with the university’s long‑term environmental sustainability strategy, as it is expected to reduce the university’s yearly Scope 2 carbon emissions by an estimated 33 200 t.

“For UCT, securing renewable electricity at scale is an important step in reducing our environmental impact,” UCT vice-chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela explained.

Discovery Green CEO Andre Nepgen said the agreement demonstrated how public institutions could use long-term renewable-energy procurement to address energy constraints, cost volatility and decarbonisation objectives.

“Our platform is built for energy complexity and scale, suitable to address the university’s current challenges and offer superior long-term value,” Nepgen added, noting that UCT was joining more than 50 organisations whose wheeled renewable-energy supply was being managed by Discovery Green.

In addition to the renewable-electricity agreement, Discovery Green and UCT would also collaborate on initiatives aimed at supporting skills development, research, and knowledge creation in the fields of energy, engineering and sustainability.

This includes support for selected scholarships within UCT’s engineering and actuarial science departments, as well as contributing to the development of the specialised skills needed to support South Africa’s energy transition.

“We are also very excited that this relationship extends beyond the wheeling agreement and includes the annual funding of energy-related research as well as an undergraduate scholarship,” Moshabela said.