The Department of Energy identified four areas within the Electricity Distribution Industry (EDI) that require policy and regulatory input. These four areas resulted in the selection of nine (9) municipalities to participate in projects that are aimed at addressing issues within a municipality. With what was envisioned by the DoE, these projects would serve as stepping stones in defining the future smart grids policy for South Africa. The aim and intention of these pilot projects is to demonstrate the value proposition of smart grid within each priority areas and also allow us to understand the business case and implementation lessons learned. Through an approved business plan between the DoE and SANEDI, the EU Programme builds into the DoE’s policy development in the following areas:

•  Distributed generation
•  Municipality revenue enhancement.
•  Energy Efficiency Demand side management.
•  Asset management

The table below illustrate the DoE priority areas, projects and participating municipalities;

Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) is a key area for SANEDI and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). Through a project funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) - United National Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), SANEDI and the DMRE are driving Energy Efficiency improvements within South Africa through mainstreaming the introduction of Energy Management Systems (EnMS) and Energy Systems Optimisation (ESO). In addition, the project aims to enhance data collection from two industrial sectors, namely; the Pulp & Paper and Automotive industries. SANEDI 12L and 12i Tax incentive programme will also be leveraged upon in support of this project.

The Research Programme at the University of Pretoria is designed around supporting the successful implementation of projects within SANEDI’s Data and Knowledge Management (DKM) programme Furthermore, the programme is designed to support data driven high confidence, decision making processes though publications, capacity building and system development for project Monitoring and Evaluation purposes. The DKM programme through this Research Programme, also plans to develop crucial energy planning tools for Climate Change Mitigation (CGM) and renewable energy resource modelling.

Through the European Union (EU) - National Treasury General Budget Support (GBS - 4) programme, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) are jointly implementing the following projects .

Achieving Net-zero Energy of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants in selected municipalities in South Africa This project aims to reduce the energy demand through the introduction of energy efficiency initiatives with municipal wastewater treatment plants. Sustainability and service delivery are additional benefits to be attained. Improving Energy Performance of Government Buildings This project similarly focuses on improving energy performance within government buildings through the installation of small-scale renewable energy, energy storage and thermally activated technologies. Furthermore, in support of the piloting of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) for government buildings that meet the requirements as stipulated by regulation