INDUSTRY FOCUS Rising energy costs and South Africa’s high solar potential mean there is a significant opportunity for solar-generated heat, or solar thermal energy generation. Business case for solar thermal in South Africa A ccording to the University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre (UCT’s ERC), 79% of the agri-processing sector’s energy demand is for low temperature heat. As low temperature heat is provided most economically by solar thermal this represents a key opportunity. Work by GreenCape, in conjunction with Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), estimates the potential for solar thermal energy within the agri-processing sector to be between 425,000m 2 and 3,758,000m 2 of collectors. This could result in savings of 111,000 to 943,000 tonnes of CO 2 e emissions per annum (a high variation due to different data sources). Solar thermal presents a key opportunity that can: reduce energy bills, ensure compliance with sustainability objectives and reduce companies’ carbon footprints. These benefits 10 could be amplified, as the sector has been identified as one of national importance with policy support for the sector through the Agri-park programme and the Industrial Policy Action Plan. Figure 1: Comparison of solar PV and solar thermal What is solar thermal energy? Solar energy, which uses the sun’s energy, rather than fossil fuels, is divided into categories, as shown in Figure 1. The light from the sun can be harnessed through photovoltaic (PV) modules to generate electricity; or heat from the sun can be harnessed using solar collectors to provide useful heat. The focus of this article is solar thermal where heat from the sun can be harnessed using solar collectors to provide useful heat. RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPLEMENT