As South Africa strives to ensure energy security for all while being sensitive to the need to be environmentally responsible, it is important to consider all energy options. We will continue our deliberations to introduce alternative energy options available to us as well as the challenges and opportunities. SANEA will host two speakers at this event:

Experience a typical "Day In The Life" of someone, set in a few years time, as every device from his electric car to dishwasher communicates with the power grid to make intelligent decisions based on energy efficiency, green energy generation, improve cost savings and even make some money in the process.

A brief practical example will look at solutions already available now, to start creating intelligent and independent smart grid environments for communities in Office Parks and Residential Estates.

Various forces are at play to increase the importance of alternative energies. The tragedy is that alternative energies, including wind energy systems are overly dependent upon subsidies.

An escape from the subsidy trap might be for VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbines) to be reconfigured such that each blade sweeps at a different level. Initial studies indicate that this method increases energy harvested by approximately 300% - using essentially the same aerodynamic components as before.