Johannesburg, South Africa, 01 December 2016 – Global and local experts and leaders within the renewable energy industry believe the time to champion renewable energy is now – as South Africa’s energy mix is currently being decided and debated.

There is also an urgency to convert a general awareness and understanding about renewable energy into tangible action.

These were some of the key issues teased out and discussed at the U.S. Embassy Pretoria’s Energy21: Exchange Hub on telling the renewable energy story differently, which wrapped today.

Madiba's message on sustainability.

The event, which drew over 60 people working in the renewable energy sector, focused on tactics for telling the renewable energy story differently in South Africa. Participants considered how to best reach, touch, inform and convert new audiences, which is especially relevant following the announcement of South Africa’s updated Integrated Resource Plan 2020-2030 and the resounding success of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPPP).

“South Africa is at the beginning of a very important renewable energy journey,” said Elizabeth McKay, Minister Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy.  “Finding new champions of renewable energy and encouraging more action will require us to shift the renewable energy narrative,” she added.  

Driving this message home at Energy21: Exchange Hub – a partnership between the U.S. Embassy South Africa, World Bank’s Connect4Climate and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – were communications, climate change and renewables experts, including the World Bank’s Max Edkins, Green Cape’s Aman Baboolal, FirstRand Limited’s Madeleine Ronquest and Intellidex’s Colin Anthony.

“South Africa’s renewables story is truly inspirational. We are transitioning towards a renewable future, which opens up opportunities.  By communicating more, we strengthen the possibility of a renewables-focused future. It’s also the most pressing challenge of our time and our generation’s time,” said Edkins, Climate Change and Communications Expert at the World Bank’s Connect4Climate programme.

Max Edkins, Connect4Climate. Photo credits: ENERGY21

David Shelby, Director of Public Engagement at the U.S. State Department, said: “In the last five years South Africa has made tremendous headway for renewables – as evidenced by the highly successful REIPPP programme roll-out.  This, in turn, has played an important part in building the economy and job creation. Now is the time to start telling this story and to communicate the benefits.”

Energy21: Exchange Hub saw communications experts paired with current and future leaders in the private sector, non-government organizations, and government who work on renewable energy policy and promotion to partake in strategic discussions and training.

Through discussing tactics – ranging from strategies for creating compelling, sticky content, reaching rural communities, designing communications campaigns to data visualization – influential industry minds explored new solutions for achieving greater awareness and public support for the renewable energy movement.

ENERGY21 participants share their ideas on how to tell the renewable energy story differently. Photo credits: ENERGY21

One of the main messages about renewable energy: it is no longer as expensive as people think.

Dr. Tobias Bischof-Niemz, Manager of CSIR’s Energy Centre, said solar and wind energy cost competitiveness studies build a strong economic case and sound positioning for renewables. 

This is especially important at a time when the Department of Energy’s updated Integrated Resource Plan will be discussed to determine the country’s energy mix structure.  “Building new energy capacity from wind and solar is less costly than coal. Additionally, these also offer CO2 and water reductions,” said Bischof-Niemz.

“While educating the public on renewables must be grounded in science, there is also the need to work together to create public awareness on renewables, to stimulate community interest – in both urban and rural areas – and engage meaningfully.”

This sentiment was echoed by Edkins who believes that success lies in developing strong partnerships to drive a focused message on renewables. Connect4Climate is already testimony of what can be achieved.

Established partnerships with stakeholders, ranging from non-governmental organisations to the United Nations, have helped to harness Connect4Climate’s mandate of combating climate change through actions driven by solutions.

Bulding bridges and establishing partnerships to better combat climate change. Photo credits: ENERGY21

The conversations and outcomes from Energy21: Exchange Hub will continue with the intention of creating a strong and connected network within the renewable energy and communications industry. Participants acknowledged their shared passion for and commitment to telling the renewable energy story differently, leading the way in creating narratives that touches the hearts and minds of all South Africans.

An agreed Action Plan by all Energy21: Exchange Hub participants will continue its momentum throughout 2017.

However, change really begins with each participant and their will to drive home change in their renewables environment.  “For us, success is for each person within the renewables industry to go home and implement one idea from Energy21 in their respective environments,” said Shelby. 

Storico evento per Planet Multimedia e HighSchoolGame. Nell'ultima udienza pubblica del sabato del Giubileo della Misericordia (12 novembre 2016), 4 studenti, in rappresentanza della classe vincitrice del Concorso tematico sull'educazione ambientale organizzato da Planet Multimedia in collaborazione con Connect4Climate di Banca Mondiale, hanno avuto il prilegio di essere in prima fila per il baciamano col Pontefice a cui hanno consegnato una t-shirt con i loghi di HighSchoolGame e Connect4Climate.

Sul sagrato davanti alla Basilica di San Pietro, la professoressa Agata Cannata ha accompagnato: Carolina Pirrò, Carmela Curcio, Francesca Nicosia e Stefano Pesce, studenti del quinto anno, coordinati dalla professoressa Luigia Maria Cimino dell'IIS M.Ciliberto-A.Lucifero di Crotone diretto dal preside prof. Girolamo Arcuri. Presenti anche il prof. Giuseppe Mazzei, della direzione generale di Planet Multimedia e il prof. Massimiliano Falcone di Connect4Climate.

Gli studenti indossavano una t-shirt con i loghi di HighSchoolGame e di Connect4Climate e sulla t-shirt che hanno consegnato al Papa hanno scritto questa dedica Laudato Si con le loro firme.

Papa Francesco ha accettato questo dono simbolico con grande gioia, ha ringraziato gli studenti che gli hanno brevemente parlato del Concorso sull'educazione ambientale. Il Pontefice si è congratulato e ha detto loro:"Bravi ragazzi, continuate così, voi siete il futuro".

"E' stata un'esperienza unica, entusiasmante e commovente-hanno commentato gli studenti-Il Papa ci ha riempito il cuore con il suo sorriso, il suo sguardo dolce, le sue parole stimolanti".

Molto emozionata anche la professoressa Cannata:" E' stata un'esperienza molto intensa e profonda. Papa Francesco trasmette il senso della sua umiltà, serenità e dolcezza. Gli occhi dei ragazzi brillavano per la felicità".

Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2016 – ‘Expensive, inaccessible, complicated and unreliable’ are a few of the misperceptions about renewable energy that persist, despite South Africa’s success in building out its large-scale renewable energy infrastructure.

To a large extent, the country’s progress in renewables has been driven by the highly successful Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) program, which has set the country on its path to achieving 30% clean energy by 2025. 

According to the South African Department of Energy (DoE), since 2011, 6,327MWs of renewable energy has been procured from 92 independent power producers located in South Africa’s nine provinces.  The energy delivered by these power producers warms homes, keeps schools, businesses, and hospitals open, and allows South Africans around the country to live fuller, brighter lives.

COP22 venue in Marrakesch, Morroco. Photo credit: Max Thabiso Edkins/Connect4Climate

All eyes have been on Marrakech recently, where the 22^nd Conference of Parties (COP22) took place.  There, countries from around the world, including South Africa and the United States, celebrated remarkable progress that has been made and the unity in the global community in fighting climate change with real action.  South Africa’s commitment to renewable energy is just one of many remarkable contributions it has made to this worldwide effort.

“South Africa has a world class renewable energy program, thanks in part to its innovative energy policy that has facilitated the development of projects that are commercially competitive with plants using traditional fuels. 

“I am proud that U.S. firms are the biggest investors in the renewables sector; if South Africa continues to pursue its policy to expand the number of wind and solar projects, we expect that significant new foreign investments will come in, prices for the consumer will continue to improve and significant new jobs will be created in the sector,” said U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Patrick Gaspard. 

According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa, solar photovoltaic and wind energy are 40 percent less expensive than baseload coal-fired power stations, providing economic benefits to the entire South African economy.

Photo credit: U.S. Embassy in South Africa

Further benefits are also evident in the industry’s employment opportunities.  In 2015, the SA DoE estimated that REIPPPP has, so far, contributed to 109,443 employment opportunities during both construction and operational phases.

Yet despite this program’s success, the overwhelming majority of South Africans remain unaware of what has been achieved through renewable energy and how this impacts their lives.  This is a recurring challenge that renewable energy communications and marketing industries, in particular, are countering. 

That is why the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria has partnered with the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), CSIR, and Connect4Climate to host the inaugural ‘Energy21: Exchange Hub’ in Pretoria on November 30 –December, 1, 2017. 

Photo credit: World Bank

The Energy21: Exchange Hub will bring together current and future leaders in the private sector, non-government organizations, and government who work on renewable energy policy and promotion to partake in two days of strategic discussions and training. 

They will learn new tactics and develop new communications strategies to raise public awareness and build support for continued investment in the energy of the future.

“The goals of the Paris Agreement will only be achieved if all of us – experts in renewable energy and citizens alike, Americans, South Africans and people in countries around the world – commit ourselves to ensuring environmentally-friendly practices such as South Africa’s REIPPP can thrive and succeed. 

“South Africa is one of few countries on Earth that has the potential to stand at the forefront of developing and deploying the world’s 21^st century energy technology, and we look forward to working with leaders in the renewable energy sector who are paving the way.  We thank DEA and CSIR for partnering with us on this important initiative,” Ambassador Gaspard added.

So far, all participants generated 943,047 tweets about the conference.

United Nations was the most influential participant.

#parisagreement and #climateaction were the top trends.

Check the rest of the analytics here.