Guest lecture
Will the Sun (and Wind) be Colonized? Renewables, Africa, and North-South Relations
- Hilton Heydenrych, University of Cape Town
- Date
- Monday 30 September 2024
- Time
- Address
-
Anna van Buerenplein
Anna van Buerenplein 301
2595 DG The Hague - Room
- 2.21 | Auditorium
About the talk:
The global north is intensifying its efforts to develop renewable energy sources, partly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and partly to ensure energy security. In the process, its gaze has settled on Africa because of the scope for harnessing both solar and wind energy. Investments in infrastructure, industrial development and basic research are increasing rapidly, and across the full value-chain: electricity generation; electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen; the processing of hydrogen to other fuel products that are easier to transport; and the means to export these products to the rest of the world.
These developments have resulted in much excitement in Africa, as possible drivers of economic growth, job creation and social upliftment. But there is also increasing caution about the potential for a new “scramble for Africa”, with developed nations using their economic and political power to extract these resources for their own use, with little benefit to local populations, i.e., a new colonization of the continent. This presentation will explore these issues and open up a discussion on how the pitfalls of the late 19th century can be avoided.
About the speaker:
Hilton has a background in the fine chemicals and petrochemicals industry in South Africa and the United States, and switched to academia in 1997. He joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at UCT in 2007 and has been Senior Lecturer since 2013. He has been closely involved in curriculum debates at the university over the past two decades, and his research interests cover engineering education, medical technology, green energy and minewater treatment.