Statement of Purpose
The South African Solar Energy Technology Road Map (SETRM) is being developed to provide a comprehensive, aligned, achievable and time bound strategic plan that will help guide: policy and regulatory development, industrial strategy and related investment, education and skills programme development, innovation, research and development; and the overall diffusion of solar technologies in the country, and given the country's significant regional impact, in the broader Southern Africa region.
Objectives
The objectives of the SETRM are:
To develop a clear, comprehensive, and prioritized implementation plan (i.e. roadmap) for the development and diffusion of concentrated solar power; solar photovoltaic technology (ies); solar heating and cooling technologies; and related R & D in South Africa toward reduced energy use, carbon emissions reduction; distributed electricity generation, expanded independent power production and electricity supply to the national grid, and the reduction of reliance on carbon fuels.
Process
The development process of the South African SETRM involves four key phases: Planning and Preparation; Visioning; Roadmap Development; and Roadmap Review and Validation. The Planning and Preparation phase of the SETRM process involves the undertaking of researching and aggregating available reports on the sector, attending stakeholder fora, engaging with sector stakeholders, and undertaking research on relevant policies, industry incentives, public and private stakeholders and sector earmarked finance.
The Visioning phase of SETRM process involves bringing key stakeholders together, along with the researchers, consultants and development partners that have been developing various independent solar sector related strategic plans and/or programmes that focus on South and Southern Africa.
The intent in convening the gathering is to enlighten everyone to the collective work being undertaken, illicit support for the various projects, and to explore points of mutual interest toward alignment and mutually beneficial exploitation of the various platforms that have been or are under development in the country.
The Roadmap Development phase of the SETRM process involves compiling and drafting a document that reflects the work that has been done in the country to date in the relevant solar fields and through a consultative process developing an aggregate set of goals, timelines, responsible actors, requisite inputs and catalysts and agreed on metrics to review progress and measure and evaluate the rate and degree of success achieved through the implementation of the SETRM process - within each of the three sub-sectors.
The Roadmap Review phase of the SETRM process is the final stage of the process and involves stakeholder review and assessment of the written plan of action and affords stakeholders the opportunity to point out any inconsistencies, changes, and/or corrections to be made to the SETRM report - toward the improvement of the document and toward increasing the likelihood that a maximum number of stakeholders will find the document relevant, useful in their planning, and worthy of being their default strategy to develop within their respective spheres of influence.