9 minute read
A catalyst for power: SAPVIA CEO
A CATALYST FOR POWER
Green Economy Journal interviews the new CEO of SAPVIA
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SAPVIA’s new chief executive officer, Dr Rethabile Melamu, is of the view that unlocking largely untapped renewable energy capacity can catalyse the implementation of South Africa’s sustainable development imperatives, invigorate industrial activity and deliver meaningful socio-economic value to its citizens.
“As we celebrate a decade of solar in South Africa, it is fitting that we have at the helm of the association a driven and powerful advocate for renewable energy. Dr Melamu comes to the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) with an outstanding track record of delivery. She will lead the organisation into a new era of growth, focusing our strategic direction and ensuring that our members capitalise on the local and regional solar markets,” comments Wido Schnabel, a managing committee member of SAPVIA since 2013 and chairperson from 2019 to 2022. (The new chairperson is Chanda Nxumalo, who was elected at SAPVIA’s 2022 AGM.)
Dr Melamu brings on-the-ground experience developing sub-national energy, green economy and public sector strategies and policies from inception to implementation.
GEJ: You have recently been appointed as the SAPVIA CEO. How have your education and career led you to where you are now?
Dr Melamu: My undergraduate qualification in chemical engineering paved a way for me to specialise in renewable energy and sustainability at post graduate levels. My master’s degree focused on environment analysis of bio-ethanol and hydrogen, and my Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) explored how new technology innovations develop in society.
Equally, my career in academia, quasi-private sector and government was a good foundation.
What has been the highlight of your career?
My highlight is when I am able to execute my responsibilities in a manner that solves a client’s or a stakeholder’s challenge. I thrive at seeing people progress and grow. As such, I have had lots of highlights over the years. Accolades and awards are motivating but they don’t inspire me to get out of bed every morning.
What are your thoughts on your role at SAPVIA?
The centrality of solar energy in the diversification of the South African energy mix and the delivery of secure, affordable and clean electricity supply to all citizens is unquestionable in my view. I am of the opinion that solar photovoltaic (PV) and the broader renewable energy technologies can support a resilient energy system and anchor the green economy transition in South Africa and the African continent.
As a trusted partner to government, I foresee SAPVIA and principal stakeholders contributing progessively towards the creation of conducive business and regulatory environments that will unlock market opportunities along the solar PV value chain for the benefit of SAPVIA’s members and the broader sector.
What are your personal aspirations in terms of SAPVIA?
I would like to position SAPVIA as a go-to organisation for best industry practices and for all matters relating to the development, regulation and promotion of solar PV in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. SAPVIA’s expansion into the SADC and sub-Saharan African regions in the coming years is something that I would like to earnestly pursue, for us to realise the vision of the “Africa we want to see”.
I strongly value collaboration. I plan to nurture existing partnerships and foster new ones that will deliver value to our members, the public sector and country’s citizens. Providing thought leadership as well as reliable and credible market intelligence will remain a priority under my leadership.
What are SAPVIA’s near-term objectives and long-term goals?
In the near term, SAPVIA will focus on nurturing partnerships that create a beneficial legislative and business environment for members. SAPVIA plans to contribute towards meeting the country’s generation capacity shortfall.
In the long term, our goal is to significantly increase the share of solar PV in the national energy mix, and through that, to address socioeconomic and energy access challenges in the country and continent.
What are the latest trends and developments in the sector?
The cost of solar has dropped drastically in the past decade, evident at the utility scale. Legislation reforms, particularly for the increase of a threshold of projects that do not require license from 1MW to 100MW, has opened more opportunities in the commercial and industrial market segments. We’ve seen tremendous growth in the past year. The electricity crisis has catalysed the rate of development and has stimulated the small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) market.
What, in your opinion, are the main challenges in this sector?
Most technical challenges are being resolved over time; PV technology is mature. The pace of procurement for utility scale projects can be increased. That requires capacity reinforcement from institutions at the forefront of it. Municipalities need to be enabled to implement their own generation projects. A national wheeling framework is the right place to start.
South Africa’s solar resource potential is among the highest in the world. Are we making the most of it?
I think we are increasingly exploiting solar resources, but there is scope to expand across market segments.
Clean, sustainable and adequate energy supplies could enable Africa to reach its full potential. What is standing in the way?
We need a favourable regulatory environment and cohesive procurement processes for government-led programmes. Better coordination of industry and private sector in project development is also needed. Of course, financing of projects can be a stumbling block, so all interested parties, government, financing institutions and industry need to work together to develop innovative business and financing models. The continent needs to build a sufficient skill base to exploit this potential.
Off-grid solar is a critical step toward the economic advancement of the continent. How should South Africa scale up off-grid solar? This is a policy stance for individual countries. There is no one-size-fitsall approach. For remote areas in South Africa, off-grid solutions such as micro-grids can address energy access challenges. Innovative business models that include community participation can address the problem.
The South African renewable energy manufacturing sector has been in survival mode for many reasons. What are these reasons and how do we overcome them?
SAPVIA has commissioned a local content study to better understand the manufacturing potential across the solar PV value chain. The study will provide a long-term market view and give insight into what can be done to alleviate the current industry uncertainty, which is crucial to sustain investor confidence.
We wish to understand the barriers to local competitiveness in South Africa and to be able to share perspectives on how industry should support localisation solutions that build capacity and local supply chains in a competitive and sustainable way.
A localised future depends on the right manufacturing and skill bases. Without these, we won’t fully realise Africa’s solar potential. How can we maximise participation in this dynamic sector of the labour force?
Indeed, the country and the continent need skills. We have established the need to maintain the integrity of the industry by ensuring quality installation especially in the SSEG space. That is why SAPVIA developed the PV GreenCard programme. There are other initiatives such as the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan which should give insights on skill needs in South Africa.
There are associations and organisations such as the Energy and Water Sector Education Training Authority (EWSETA), Eskom, South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARATEC) and GreenCape who are contributing to skills development in the renewable energy space in one way or another. Our role is to support these institutions in the execution of some of their plans for the benefit of our members.
The PV GreenCard programme is designed to ensure quality and safety standards are maintained by all solar PV installers. Installers take part in specialised training to become certified. The certification means that these installers are proficient and compliant with all of the relevant electrical regulations.
You have highlighted before that entrepreneurship in the climate space takes a lot of effort. Why is this so?
Because it requires different types of support – both technical and non-technical. Those needs, include but are not limited to, access to strategic infrastructure for prototyping, product testing and manufacturing. Entrepreneurs need business development support to develop route-to-market strategies, appropriate business and financial models, as well as intellectual property support. Of course, access to market and finance are major requirements. All these factors need to be juggled at the same time which can be overwhelming for start-up entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship needs wide engagement with various government departments as well as with financing and funding institutions, etc. Supporting entrepreneurs is an art, it takes years – and a couple of weeks pitch training, as is sometimes the practice in industry, is insufficient.
How does SAPVIA advance gender equality?
SAPVIA and the broader market encourage members to embrace diversity. There is a shared SAWEA and SAPVIA working group that focuses on increased participation of women in the sector and in leadership positions. In fact, there is currently a GIZ supported study by SAWEA and SAPVIA and plans to improve gender diversity in the renewable energy sector.
In your opinion, what is one of the biggest challenges that women in the energy industry face today?
Due to other societal obligations, women tend to have limited access to networks that contribute to their growth the way men do, participation in after-work engagements, for instance. Challenges tend to be systemic, reflected in organisation policies and practice.
What advice do you have for those interested in starting a career in the green economy?
There is a lot more information about the sector now compared to a decade ago. Educate yourself about various career options and use professional platforms such as LinkedIn to reach out to professionals in the sector, to educate yourself and for inspiration.
Please give a message of motivation to women aspiring to leadership positions.
Find and do something that you’re passionate about, do it well, do it for the benefit of society. In time, you will need to grow in influence and step up into a position of leadership. A position of leadership comes with responsibility, and it is important to allow yourself time to grow into it. Be intentional about growing other women and men when you occupy these positions. SAPVIA is a member-led organisation formed with the express purpose of growing the solar PV sector’s role in powering South Africa’s future. The association advocates, engages and influences on behalf of its members to harness the power of solar PV and capitalise on the opportunities it offers companies, individuals and the broader South African economy.
CAREER BIOGRAPHY
2008-2012: Research officer lecturer | Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT 2014-2015: Biofuels project specialist | GreenCape 2015-2018: Director: Green Economy | Gauteng Provincial Government 2016-2022: General Manager: Green Economy | The Innovation Hub 2017 – present: Steering committee member | Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs 2018 – present: Member board of trustee | Central University of Technology 2019 – 2022: Member of the board of advisors | Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT 2019 – present: Member board of directors | SAREBI 2021 – present: Non-executive director | GreenMatterZA May 2022: Chief Executive Officer | SAPVIA An engineer by training, Dr Melamu has become renowned for her global expertise in the green economy and energy sectors. She has leveraged both the theoretical and practical to harness innovative smart technologies to mitigate the impact of climate change in society, with a dedicated focus on African sustainable development.
