Proceedings Report: Technological Innovations for a Low Carbon Society Conference

Abstract

The challenge of finding sustainable, low carbon solutions to a global problem, such as climate change, is pertinent for both Germany and South Africa, notwithstanding their different developmental stages and different socio-economic and political contexts. Themes addressed included the energy-water-food nexus for resilient societies; low cost, low carbon innovations for poverty alleviation; smart city innovations; new and emerging technologies, such as carbon capture and storage and The Beauti-fuel Project aimed at converting biomass to liquid fuel, and the potential for solar power in South Africa. It was noted that South Africa can be viewed as a ‘playground’ for finding innovative low carbon solutions due to the untapped wind and solar energy resources and the excellent research capability.