The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) will be hosting its 7th Annual WindAc Africa Conference in October 2024, alongside the Windaba Conference and Exhibition, at the Cape Town CTICC 2.
WindAc Africa has a vision to become the pre-eminent academic wind conference in Africa, while simultaneously becoming the leadership sponsorship opportunity for excellent wind energy students from Southern African research institutions. It sets out to achieve this status by elevating knowledge of wind power supply throughout Africa and worldwide, while also strengthening the cooperation between African universities and the wind industry. This conference creates a platform to encourage students to continue with their academic path aligned with wind energy. It further provides an opportunity to network with peers and leading industry experts.
Researchers and academics in the renewable energy space are invited to submit abstracts for consideration. Abstracts are due by 02 August 2024, with full paper submissions due by 23 August 2024. For more information on submission guidelines and conference details, please visit the SAWEA website. Join us at WindAc Africa 2024 as we pave the way for a sustainable energy future, through wind.
PROPOSED CONFERENCE FOCUS AREAS
- Unlocking grid capacity for integration of wind energy into the grid
- Hybrid projects in the new energy paradigm
- Wind energy policy and its impact role on in a clean energy transition as part of the long-term energy mix
- Wind energy and green hydrogen
- Wind energy’s role in the new African market
- The wind resources in Africa, its potential to support socio-economic growth and energy security
- Tackling the challenges to the accelerated roll out of wind energy including but not limited to policies, supply chain and logistical hurdles
- The future of public & private procurement and wind energy
- The economics and market dynamics of wind energy
- Innovative operation and maintenance techniques of wind plants for enhanced asset performance
- Advancement of wind turbine technology for C&I and utility scale markets
- End of life planning, circularity, and sustainability of wind energy
- Wind energy localisation
- Offshore wind – policy requirements, feasibility, development and pathways in South Africa
- Social and environmental impact of wind energy
SPECIFICATIONS & SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
The abstract should be no more than one page using the typeface and point size of respectively Times New Roman and 12pt and should be structured as follows:
- Introduce the research field and the particular problem investigated briefly
- A statement of the objective/importance of the problem under investigation
- An indication of the study design and setting, key findings/contributions/results
- In conclusion, present a compelling argument which indicate what the implications for future or existing developments are.
All abstracts must be submitted by the the closing date 02 August 2024, and will be invited to submit a full paper due by 23 August 2024. Please note that researchers can choose to either:
- Submit an existing manuscript with published work or
- Submit new unpublished findings.
Please Note: Presenters should strongly consider illustrating their work and research in the form of case studies.
Download WindAc Call For Abstracts
Download WindAc 2024 Sponsorship Brochure
Submit your abstract
As always, we will meticulously choose speakers and presenters to ensure that top-notch content guides discussions at WindAc 2024 and in the future. The program will feature papers chosen through rigorous peer review and approved by a scientific advisory panel. The 2024 agenda will showcase research spanning the wind value chain, technical advancements, socio-economic impacts, policy considerations, and environmental factors, emphasizing the resilience of wind energy.
Meet our 2024 Scientific Advisory Board Leadership:
ABULELE ADAMS - Chairperson
Abulele has been working as an environmental scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) since January 2014. She holds a Master of Science in Geography from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (now Nelson Mandela University) in Gqeberha. Her undergraduate degree was a BSc in Environmental Science with Honours in Geographic Information Systems. She also completed a year of courses in the Sustainability Economics and Management Masters programmes at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany.
Abulele has worked on the South African National Strategic Infrastructure Projects including the Phase 1 and Phase 2 National Wind & Solar PV Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Electricity Grid Infrastructure SEA as well as the Square Kilometre Array SEA which were commissioned by the national Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. Abulele has developed national guidelines and legislation. In addition, she has worked on a municipal capacity and partnership programme which aims at collaborating with local municipalities to increase capacity in strategic planning areas including municipal Integrated Development Plans and Spatial Development Frameworks.
Abulele is a past president of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) South Africa as well as the International Association for Impact Assessment Students and Young Professionals Section Co-Chair Committee. She was the chair for the IAIA Climate Change Symposium which took place in Cape Town, South Africa in September 2022. She is also the recipient of the Mail and Guardian 200 Young South Africans list that celebrates young people who are making strides in their chosen fields and charting the way for the many other South Africans.
DR. BRUCE YOUNG - Vice Chairperson
Experienced chemical engineering and business development professional with a good understanding of the South African and global energy and petrochemical landscape.
30 years’ prior work experience at Sasol before joining the African Energy Leadership Centre at the Wits Business School in April 2022 Prior to Sasol he was a chemical engineering academic at the University of the Witwatersrand for 5 years during which time he published over twenty publications in international peer refereed journals. While at Sasol, he participated in the commercialization of several novel processes in the energy and chemicals area as well as the $1.3 billion pioneering Oryx gas to liquids plant in Qatar.
He has experience in energy and chemicals technology, corporate strategy, business development and mergers and acquisitions. He has played a significant role in the nurturing and development of several pioneering value adding businesses for Sasol. His experience in the development and commercialisation of several major projects involving pioneering process technology has given him specific insight into the technology and business risks associated with pioneering projects in the energy and chemicals area.
His research interest is to explore the technical, economic, and business risks associated with the novel and competing pioneering technology options for the renewable energy transition with a view to understanding which technologies will prevail and which will fall by the wayside.
He has a BSc, MSc, and PhD in chemical engineering all from the University of the Witwatersrand.
