This afternoon, Wikus took me to the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The Centre is fairly new, and some aspects of the building are not yet complete. Regardless, it was great to see the facility and talk to those involved.
My connection to the Centre is that I worked on a business plan in late 2009 (completed in January 2010) for what would become SARETEC. At the time, I held a dual appointment, part time as an instructor at CPUT and part time in the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES) at the Univeristy of Stellenbsoch. I wrote the business plan in my role at CRSES using what I knew about the people and processes at CPUT. (My original name was South African Renewable Energy Training, Research, and Education Centre, SARETREC.)
Since that time, Wikus at CRSES and others at GreenCape secured a site and funding. German personnel supported by international development money and in cooperation with several from CPUT established a curriculum, developed training materials, and designed and built a state-of-the-art facility.
Part of my effort on the business plan was to identify potential leaders and instructors for SARETEC. One such person was Sven who led our tour of the facilities. We saw the workshop, lecture theatre, electrical lab, hydraulics lab, and classrooms. In 2009, I also met with Eskom to inquire about transfer of the Klipheuwel site to CPUT for the purpose of establishing SARETEC, a plan that never materialized. But Eskom has donated their Jeumont turbine which arrived recently. SARETEC will provide height training from its tower and maintenance training with its nacelle. In recent months European turbine manufacturers have expressed interest for SARETEC to train technicians for employment at wind farms throughout all of Africa and South America. Best of all, I learned that every member of SARETEC’s first graduating class are now employed on wind farms in South Africa. And a second class with 18 new students started today.
In the executive summary of the 2010 business plan I wrote:
SARETREC provides the rare opportunity to address all three pillars of the triple bottom line in a single entity:
• economic development (via the renewable energy industry),
• environmental responsibility (via clean energy), and
• social responsibility (via education and training).
That’s as true today as it was then! I’m pleased to have played a small role in making SARETEC happen.
—Matt
