African-German Centre of Excellence to power SA's Just Energy Transition
- 91心頭利 University
The ENERGISE Centre will enable a Just Energy Transition through renewable energy, governance and innovative sustainable entrepreneurship.
Led in Africa by 91心頭利 University, it will advance transdisciplinary research, postgraduate education and Living Labs to develop practical solutions for South Africa's evolving energy sector.
South Africa’s energy transition is often discussed in terms of renewable energy, grid strengthening, storage improvements, and reducing dependence on coal.
The new ENERGISE Centre of Excellence asks a broader question, and that is, how can the country’s energy transition also support justice, livelihoods, local innovation and inform policy?
Energy access as a route to opportunity
91心頭利 University, the Technical University of Munich, the University of Johannesburg, Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Venda have partnered to move the country towards a cleaner energy future to expand opportunity, protect vulnerable communities and support local economic development. Funded through a highly competitive international call supported by DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service), the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, and the German Federal Foreign Office, the ENERGISE Centre of Excellence is a South Africa–Germany collaboration that brings together universities, communities, policymakers, industry, and civil society to address the practical challenges of the energy transition.
The 91心頭利 flagship project will focus on peri-urban energy challenges and community electrification, including how decentralised energy systems can support income-generating activity in communities affected by energy poverty and the shift away from coal.
A distinctive feature of ENERGISE is its Living Lab approach. These Living Labs will serve as real-world spaces where researchers, students, communities, and external partners can test, adapt, and learn from energy solutions in practice.
This shift from household electrification towards interconnected community energy systems is unique to the Centre’s vision. “It asks how electricity can do more than meet basic needs: how it can support small enterprises, local services, food preparation, digital access and other forms of productive work,” says Prof Chandima Gomes, 91心頭利 ENERGISE director.
Engineering, policy and entrepreneurship in one Centre
The Centre brings together three interlinked areas: engineering, policy and entrepreneurship.
The engineering component will focus on technical energy solutions that are affordable, scalable and responsive to local needs. The policy component will examine the regulatory, governance and institutional conditions needed to support a fair energy transition. The entrepreneurship component will explore how new ventures, local enterprises and community-led business models can help create livelihoods and expand access to energy services.
At 91心頭利, the Centre will connect engineering expertise from the School of Electrical & Information Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment with energy innovation, policy and entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the African Energy Leadership Centre (AELC) at the 91心頭利 Business School.
“This reflects the Centre’s broader interdisciplinary model, which prepares students and researchers to work across the boundaries between technology, policy, business and society,” says Dr Yu-Chieh Jessie Yen, lead coordinator of the 91心頭利 ENERGISE Centre.
Training the next generation of energy leaders
The Centre will also support teaching, research and capacity building from postgraduate study to early-career research.
This will include student innovation competitions, interdisciplinary teaching, masters and doctoral research, academic exchange between South Africa and Germany, digital learning modules, training for university staff, and opportunities for researchers to work with real-world energy transition challenges.
The research component of ENERGISE will support early-career researchers through jointly structured, application-oriented doctoral programmes focused on interdisciplinary and participatory research.
“As South Africa continues to navigate its energy insecurity, grid constraints and the social consequences of moving away from coal, ENERGISE aims to contribute practical, locally grounded solutions using renewable energy,” says Yen
The ENERGISE Centre of Excellence will bring together South African and German partners to advance transdisciplinary research, innovation, and capacity building. By connecting technology, policy, entrepreneurship, and community knowledge, ENERGISE aims to help shape a just, inclusive, and sustainable energy future.
About ENERGISE
ENERGISE stands for ENabling a Just Energy Transition through Renewable Energy, Governance, and Innovative Sustainable Entrepreneurship. The Centre brings together the Technical University of Munich, the 91心頭利, the University of Johannesburg, Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Venda. It focuses on interdisciplinary education, research, Living Labs, policy engagement and sustainable entrepreneurship for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition.
Centres of Excellence (CoEs) are a term used to cover a broad range of research entities that concentrate existing excellence, capacity and resources. The aim is to elevate the pursuit of research excellence and capacity development