GESA advocates for sustainability, renewable energy in Botswana
BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: We understand that GESA advocates for the use of renewable energy for small customers and industrial users. Apart from this, explain to us in more details what the Association stands for?
TUMISANG LETLAKANA: Green energy and Sustainability Association stands for many things in addition to advocating for the use of renewable energy. As an association, we advocate for energy security, promoting sustainable development, local mineral beneficiation through a stable energy infrastructure. We also do research and development, education, training and increasing awareness with regard to a green economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, among others.
BG: Since the Association was established, what has been the major achievements as well as challenges?
LETLAKANA: The Association was established in 2017 by a group of engineers and scientists at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BUIST) and officially registered in January 2018. By the time it was registered it had already included other stakeholders outside the science and engineering field. From the time of its establishment up to this point, GESA has achieved a lot locally and internationally as an Association. We have managed to cement a partnership with New Era College of arts and technology.
Our partnership is such that we become partners in developing industry ready graduates, specifically those who will be aware of the opportunities that exists within the green technology sector, also helping with industrial training placements where necessary. On the other hand the college also partake in GESA activities and initiatives. GESA has also facilitated education and training through various institutions of learning in Botswana with regard to opportunities in the Renewable Energy sector. Some of the Presentations include a lecture at Botho University which was about Opportunities in the Renewable energy sector, lecture at the Botswana University of Agriculture and natural Resources (BUAN) which was about incorporating renewables into the agricultural sector, and many others.
The Association has also held some various Kgotla addresses in different villages in Botswana, including very rural and semi-rural places, villages like Gakuto (Kweneng region) and Mokgenene(Central) are amongst those that the association have addressed in kgotla meetings, educating and raising awareness amongst the community. GESA has donated to some schools, solar lighting systems in Gakuto and Ramotswa School of the Death.
We have been able to participate in different platforms, including national radio stations where we educated the entire nation about Green technologies. Locally, the association has worked with the Botswana Climate Change network, The National Environmental Education Committee as well as those who were able to sponsor GESA Events like the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) Regionally, GESA has managed to mingle and work with other like-minded Organisations like; African Coalition on Sustainable Energy Access (ACSEA, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, Democracy Works Foundation
BG: Kindly also speak to some of government’s energy policies that you have influenced over the years.
LETLAKANA: GESA as an Association is a voice for the voiceless, we have always advocated for a progressive energy policy in Botswana, we cannot say we influenced the current policy but we have always advocated for a policy that will be inclusive for all, that will create an enabling environment for Batswana and citizen owned companies to prosper in the energy sector. As part of the National Environmental Education Committee (From 2018) we meaningfully contributed to National Environmental Education Strategy and Action Plan.
BG: Green energy is a relatively new topic in the country and indeed the rest of the continent. What educational initiatives or campaigns has the Association carried out to the general public about this subject?
LETLAKANA: As I have mentioned, the Association has carried out different forms of educational initiatives to the general public to raise awareness and educate about renewable and green energy technologies. These initiatives have been conducted through workshops, lecturing at different institutions of learning, Kgotla meeting presentations, radio presentations as well as social media campaigns. Recently, the Association was represented at the Botswana Mining and Energy (BME) conference, where the presentation topic was Sustainable and Clean Mining through Renewable energy technologies. BG: How capacitated are our citizen owned companies to produce renewable energy for the national grid?
LETLAKANA: There has been a very huge progress in terms of citizen owned companies being able to produce renewable energy, what has been holding back most companies over the past years was the unavailability of a guiding national policy to enable them to produce and sell to the grid. But progress has been made by the signing of the Energy policy, which now gives citizen owned companies opportunities to generate and sell. However, a lot still needs to be done, like for instance; de-monopolising the power sector.
BG: As an Association, are you content with the pace at which government is rolling out green energy projects?
LETLAKANA: An advocacy body like GESA cannot say, yes we are content. We can rather say, yes, there is a very huge progress because Botswana now has an Energy policy, there have been some talks on de-monopolising the power sector, there has been some green energy projects which the government was a leader in initialising them, however, a lot still need to be done. As long as there are no energy efficiency engineers, energy auditors in the public and private sector shows that there is a huge gap that still need to be bridged. The other factor will be to create an enabling environment particularly for citizen owned energy producing companies to acquire funding and licensing to produce energy from renewables.
BG: How is green energy related to climate change?
LETLAKANA: Green energy and Climate change are the twins that shall never separate. Greenhouse gas emissions are the drivers for climate change, by using green energy we are getting rid of such emissions which end up hurting or causing further harm to the environment. Green energy technologies like solar and green hydrogen as an example are known to be environmentally friendly because they don’t cause further harm to the environment. The key to tackling climate crisis is to end our reliance in fossil fuels, the alternative being green energy.
BG: GESA advocates for green energy and sustainability. What sustainability are you referring to here?
LETLAKANA: In this context, sustainability refers to the ability of our country and the entire world to prosper, to industrialize without causing further harm to the environment. This will ensure our descendants find a habitable earth to live in and also prosper in the future. We are saying, let us develop, let us industrialize, let us meet our own needs but let us not compromise the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs.
BG: Botswana, has for a long time depended on now renewable energy sources such as coal. In your own view, and looking at our current situation, can renewable energy replace non-renewable source of energy?
LETLAKANA: Absolutely! But, it is a process; we cannot do it over night as we need to invest more in Renewables, to transition progressively from the fossil era into the green era. A lot of investment has to be done into research and Development, energy is life, energy is used across all sectors of the economy, it’s not only about electricity, but it also involves mining, transportation, agriculture, etc.
Right now, there is absolutely no how we can stop the use of fossils, but we can start with a hybrid setup in our energy infrastructure, for instance, the mining sector which alone consumes over 30% of the total industrial energy use can be hybridized with Renewables. These applies to all other sectors, in the transportation sector, we can start now by using environmentally friendly (green /electric cars) , while we are still developing a more cheaper industrial process of producing green hydrogen for energy and storage, more efficient electric machinery and heavy duty trucks for mines agriculture and construction.
BG: Innovation is key when it comes to renewable energy. As a country, what is the starting point for us to be in a position to have more innovators who can bring this type of energy to the masses?
LETLAKANA: The starting point is to invest more into research and development, utilize the already existing human resource by absorbing them into public and private sector. It remains an undisputed fact that most energy engineers are roaming the streets or they have deviated to more lucrative professions, its upon our government to search for these scarce skilled professionals, and lure them back into the energy economy of Botswana. One other thing, we should create an enabling environment for acquisition of Power producing licenses, also neutralize some of the willing expatriates in order to diffuse knowledge from them into our young engineers through on the job training, reverse engineering and mentorship. In some instances, the government should by all means promote Public Private Partnerships, in most advanced economies this model has done wonders.
BG: What strategic relationships do you have in place to drive the Association’s mandate?
LETLAKANA: The Association has been working with all relevant stakeholders in the public, private and civil society organisations. These include: Bogosi, Government departments like the Department of Environmental Affairs which happens to be the Secretariat to the National environmental education Committee , New Era College of Arts and Technology, Botswana Development Corporation who funded some of our projects, privately owned companies like Bio-watt Botswana and many others which support the Association when the need arises.
The Association had a representative at A High Level Meeting on Energy Access for all in Zambia, where a policy document was developed for African Coalition for Energy Access and also Redefining of the African Coalition on Sustainable Energy Access (ACSEA) mandate and mission. The Association has different partners in the civil society world which include the Botswana Climate Change Network.