Dr. Justice Chihota holds B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town, awarded in 2011, 2015 and 2019, respectively. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he joined the CRSES as a Postdoctoral Fellow and subsequently progressed through several roles to his current position as Chief Engineer and Portfolio Manager.
Dr. Chihota’s expertise lies in distribution system planning and operation, with particular emphasis on load modelling, network design, capacity assessment and reinforcement planning under uncertainty. A central focus of his work is the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs), including distributed generation (DG), energy storage and electric vehicle (EV) charging, into electricity distribution networks. His research and industry-facing projects support municipalities and other power-sector stakeholders in assessing network readiness, identifying infrastructure constraints and developing technically robust pathways for accommodating increasing levels of DERs.

Dr. Chihota’s work increasingly extends to integrated transmission–distribution planning and coordination, recognising the growing interdependence between the two network levels as power systems become more decentralised, active and renewable energy (RE) driven. This includes the development of “distribution development planning” approaches that account for evolving demand (including EVs), DG, flexibility resources and the operational requirements of the wider power system. Through this work, he contributes to the transition from traditionally passive distribution networks towards actively planned and managed distribution systems.

In addition to his research contributions through technical projects and peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Chihota participates in the development of standards and industry practices supporting modern distribution networks and RE integration in South Africa. He serves on the working group responsible for SANS 507, which addresses the design of low-voltage electricity networks, and contributes to work associated with NRS 118 and NRS 097-2-3, which address aspects of distributed energy resource integration and network connection requirements.

Dr. Chihota is also an active member of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers’ (SAIEE) Load Research Chapter, where he contributes to the advancement of load research, modelling practices and their application in electricity network planning. Through these roles, his work advances risk-informed power-system planning for South Africa’s energy transition, supporting the coordinated integration of distributed energy resources and the development of resilient, efficient and increasingly sustainable distribution systems.