In this opinion piece, Barry Bredenkamp stresses that energy efficiency should be the responsibility of every industrial sector, no matter how small it may be.

In efforts to boost South Africa’s energy efficiency and reduce its greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, no stone should be left unturned when it comes to finding potential for improvement. It is critical that homes, businesses and commercial and industrial sites all play their part in minimising electricity use. This is for the benefit of not only the national grid, which is under strain, but also the country and the planet. While South Africa is the thirty-second-biggest biggest economy in the world, we are the fourteenth-biggest emitter of GHGs.

Large power users and big industrial operations are some of the ‘low-hanging fruit’ that should be considered when we look for major potential energy savings. Power-intensive industries such as mining and processing are always top of the list when looking for efficiency improvements; however, over the coming months, we will also see the paper and pulp and automotive industries come under the microscope.

The South African Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) Project is progressing with a data-intensive study to assess the potential for energy savings in these industries. The project is the outcome of a partnership between the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), through the South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), and the Department of Trade, industry and Competition (DTIC), through the National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa (NCPC-SA).

The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, with co-funding from the DTIC, and has, since 2010, assisted industrial companies around the country in improving their energy efficiency.

No Sector Too Small

By turning our attention to the paper and pulp and automotive industries, which are relatively small in South Africa, with just a few key role-players, we aim, through detailed research, to help uncover further savings potential and advise on energy systems optimisation and energy management systems. While the industries are small in terms of the number of companies, the companies are relatively energy-intensive operations. We have reached out to the industry stakeholders for their cooperation and look forward to working with them on a common goal over the next couple of months.

The main players in these two industries are not new to the energy efficiency game. All are internationally competitive, and have, no doubt, implemented green initiatives at their facilities, in line with global best practice. However, when this funding opportunity arose in South Africa, the DMRE proposed the paper and pulp and automotive industries, after conducting a gap analysis on the available energy data in these industries, to inform the South African National Energy Efficiency Strategy. While many of the facilities that we will be assessing may be in competition with one another, the initiative by no means seeks to serve anticompetitive behaviour through the publication of sensitive data.

Data-Driven Study for World-Class Results

A crucial element for ensuring actionable and reliable outcomes is to ensure we use the most valuable data that can reliably inform us on the baseline situation and the additional energy-savings potential in both industries. Data availability and accuracy are historically a problem in South Africa, which is another reason this activity provides an important focus.

To aid our objective, we have received best-practice templates for data collection from the International Energy Agency, which has considerable experience in similar studies across the world, with the data used to shape energy policies for a secure and sustainable future. With the agency’s help, we will use industry best practice to ensure that the study can be undertaken smoothly and provide sound outcomes, in line with internationally acceptable norms.

Combined with this, the role of digitalisation cannot be ignored. While many facilities may have already implemented green initiatives, technology is continuously developing and always offering potential for operational improvements. Assessing what technology is used, how it is used, what data it generates, and what is done with that data will form a big part of this study.

Encouraging Women in Energy

Coming out of Women’s Month, is it important to note that the multiparty IEE Project is one of many initiatives contributing to increasing female participation in the energy sector. This is crucial, as a 58% gender gap remains between men and women in terms of economic participation. Gender diversity has been found to lead to better-quality decision-making, lower risk, improved global image and greater innovation.

In line with this, we aim to identify a largely female team of researchers, data collectors and other competences to undertake the study. Further, the study will assess the extent to which the target sectors have implemented gender mainstreaming in their organisations. This is not to condemn them, but to aid them on their journey to a transformed workforce.

Bredenkamp has been working in the energy industry since 1983, first for State-owned electricity utility Eskom, where he spent 27 years, after which he joined Sanedi. His career in sustainable energy started in 1996, while he was at Eskom, with the design and implementation of a national energy efficient lighting campaign, and has progressed through many facets of the sustainable energy environment until now, where he heads up the Energy Efficiency and Data and Knowledge Management Programme at Sanedi