So Much On Offer at the SAEE Convention

The days are counting down to one of the highlights of the year for businesses and other stakeholders involved in promoting and embracing practical, sustainable energy efficiency in South Africa. The 11th Annual SAEE (South African Association for Energy Efficiency) Convention is taking place at Emperors Palace, Gauteng, on the 8th and 9th November 2016, and this year offers even more to delegates than ever before.

Over and above the invaluable networking and information-gathering opportunities, there are many additional benefits on offer to all delegates attending the Convention. 

Lucky Draw
Not just your run-of-the-mill prize here! Vikinduku Engineering & Projects is sponsoring a brand new, off-grid solution that will be debuted for the very first time in South Africa at the Convention. Vikinduku is a privately-owned engineering company, started in 2005 by Hope Mashele. It specialises in providing energy efficient and sustainable engineering solutions for the construction, transport and mining environment.

The prize on offer is an Ellies 1200W inverter trolley - a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that comes complete with 24v batteries and a 20amp charge regulator, as well as a 320w PV panel. It will be on display for the duration of the Convention, and the draw will take place at 15:00 on November 9. The winning delegate must be present to claim their prize.

CPD Points
The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) defines CPD (or Continuing Professional Development) as the systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge and skills, and the development of personal qualities necessary for the execution of professional and technical duties throughout a person’s engineering career. In order to renew their annual registration with the Council, individuals need to meet minimum credit requirements. 

The 2016 SAEEC will be post validated for CPD points by the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (validation number SAIEE-1683-V) in accordance with the ECSA. In the past the SAEEC was validated with  2 CPD points.

Greater Attendance Means Greater Networking 

Exhibitions
Entrance to the exhibition hall is free of charge and, for the first time, visitors to this year’s exhibition will be able to pre-register. Many people have already taken advantage of this facility, with more registering all the time. The EWSETA and SAIPPA workshop on Skills Development in the Energy and Water sectors will be a side-event taking place in the exhibition hall and anybody is welcome to attend free of charge.

In addition, a wider variety of delegates will be encouraged to attend by the hosting of four separate side events that will run alongside the main Convention:

SAEE Banquet and Awards Ceremony
The Southern African Association for Energy Efficiency (SAEE) Awards Programme annually recognizes outstanding accomplishments of both individuals and companies in the energy industry. The Awards are a token of recognition for commitment to the profession, the desire to further the Association's mission, and participation in civic and community affairs. These prestigious Awards will take place on the evening of 8 November, and will mark the official opening of the Convention, celebrating the theme “Keen on Green.”Attendance at the banquet will be by RSVP only.

ESCo Register Launch 
The Register for Energy Service Companies (ESCo Register) will be launched on November 10th, and is destined to become an important tool in the development and growth of ESCos and the SAEE in South Africa. It will be used by both the private and public sector to identify, plan, develop, finance or implement co-generation or energy efficiency, and demand side management projects or water infrastructure. 

The event is by invitation only and is organised on behalf of the Department of Energy (DoE) by the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) and the South African-German Energy Programme (SAGEN), implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

ESCO Association Establishment
An IFC study, referred to as the “South African ESCOs Benchmarking and Diagnostics Study”, completed in 2014 found a number of improvement areas for ESCOs and included a number of recommendations. The most important recommendation was for the then existing ESCO association to be dissolved and moved to be housed within the Southern African Association for Energy Efficiency (SAEE). The SAEE accepted this recommendation and have, since then, been working very closely with various stakeholders like the DoE, SANEDI, GIZ and others towards establishing the industry needs and how it may be best addressed. The intent is to formally establish the basic group and structure to develop the “new” ESCO association (however named) within the SAEE during the SAEE Convention. Anyone interested is welcome to attend this event which will happen at the start of the lunch break during the ESCO Track, on 9 November at 12:30, in the Senates room.

Energy Efficiency Seminar
Although the importance of energy efficiency in energy security and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is now accepted and acknowledged worldwide, there is still a need to both speed up the pace at which energy efficient measures are adopted, and reduce the costs associated with this.

The Department of Energy will be hosting a seminar to discuss the government policies that should be pursued to enhance the economics of energy efficiency in South Africa. These discussions are hoping to both highlight and offer solutions to such challenges as the lack of investment appetite, high initial costs and long payback periods.

Breakfast for the SAEE Females in Energy Efficiency
The Southern African Females in Energy Efficiency (SAFEE) will host a networking breakfast inviting potential partners and sponsors in order to find ways to further elevate the voice and position of women in the energy efficiency sector.