The Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES) participated in the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) Annual Energy Conference, held from 24 to 26 February 2026. The conference brought together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and energy practitioners to engage on key issues shaping South Africa’s energy future. This year’s discussions focused oncatalysing a just and digital energy transition for South Africa and the broader African continent.
CRSES was proud to exhibit throughout the conference, engaging with stakeholders and showcasing the Centre’s research, advisory work, and training initiatives. The exhibition platform provided an opportunity for the CRSES team to interact with delegates from government, industry, and academia, highlighting the Centre’s contributions to advancing renewable energy research, capacity development, and evidence-based policy support.
On Day 2 of the conference (25 February 2026), the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Hub and Spoke Programme was strongly represented across participating institutions. Representing the Wind Energy Spoke at Stellenbosch University, Nkosinathi Gule delivered a presentation highlighting the work being undertaken to advance wind energy research and innovation in South Africa. From the Solar Thermal Spoke, Willem le Roux represented the University of Pretoria, sharing developments and collaborative efforts within the solar thermal space under the programme. These presentations demonstrated the strength of institutional collaboration under the Hub and Spoke framework in driving research excellence and supporting the growth of South Africa’s renewable energy sector.
A highlight of the conference occurred on the final day (26 February 2026) when the CRSES exhibition stand was visited by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy in the Parliament of South Africa, Ms Nonkosi Mvana. She was accompanied by executives from the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). The delegation engaged with the CRSES team to learn more about the Centre’s activities, research focus areas, and programme offerings. The visit provided a valuable opportunity to demonstrate how the Centre contributes to national conversations shaping South Africa’s energy transition.
During the conference, CRSES Chief Engineer, Dr Justice Chihota, delivered a presentation titled “Unlocking Grid Potential Towards Streamlined Grid Interconnection Frameworks.” His presentation addressed the challenge of grid capacity constraints that continue to affect the integration of renewable energy in South Africa. The work presented focused on improving distributed generation (DG) interconnection frameworks through practical, data-driven approaches that can accelerate connection processes while maintaining system reliability. The presentation contributed important insights to discussions on strengthening the grid and enabling greater renewable energy uptake.
Overall, the SANEDI Annual Energy Conference 2026, held from 24–26 February 2026, provided an important platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and dialogue across the energy sector. CRSES was pleased to contribute to these discussions and to continue engaging with partners and stakeholders working towards a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable energy future for South Africa.
