So I’d like to start with my own background. Initially, I started off my career as a chemical engineer working in the mining sector and mining consultancy space, and it was very exciting, lots of great exposure and wonderful opportunities.
But soon I started to deal with this inner turmoil, and I realised that I wanted to do something that specifically focuses on improving the planet.
So a few years in I quit my job, and I started to work at an NGO in Zambia where we provided biodigester solutions to rural communities with solar-powered boreholes.
I was just fascinated by this technology where you can deal with waste, as well as supply water and electricity, and I wanted to see it implemented more widely.
Now, one of the key challenges we faced was financial viability. The projects just couldn’t stand on their own feet. They needed grant funding. So I set off to do a master’s degree on the techno-economics of biogas, but also other renewable energy technologies in the context of developing countries like South Africa.
What I discovered and one of my key findings during my research was that we really need to valorise the environmental benefits that certain technologies bring, because financially it is not always viable on its own. But if you take these environmental benefits into account, it carries great weight.
And that is where my journey with the voluntary carbon market started. And so I basically approached my current employer, Anthesis, they were not doing any renewable energy projects at the time, but they were willing to employ me nonetheless. And yes, that’s how our journey started.
And today I’m proud to say that three years later, we have five large scale renewable energy projects under development and that I’m playing a very active role in developing those projects.
Q: Tell us about your successes, you’ve had an agricultural success story recently, and then more specifically your, your energy projects.
I would like to first just say a little bit more about Anthesis. As a company, we started out about 12 years ago in South Africa. We were a branch of a Dutch company called Climate Neutral Group. Initially, we only focused on all things carbon, from carbon footprinting to carbon tax and then also to carbon offsets. But three years ago, we were acquired by the British company Anthesis, and we have now grown to be the largest or one of the largest sustainability consultants in the world.
We have a presence in about 23 countries and we focus on a very wide range of sustainability solutions, everything from packaging to supply chains, with carbon offsets being the final cherry on top.
AgriCarbon is one of our biggest success stories. It is a programme where we provide financial benefits and a reward to farmers who choose to farm in a sustainable, regenerative way. And we’ve also been the first company in Africa to receive carbon credit issuance under this methodology.
So it’s very exciting to us. On the renewable energy side, we are also very proud of the Redstone concentrated solar plant, which is our first large-scale renewable energy project that we have registered in South Africa.
This project consists of a very high, 250 metre high solar receiver tower that absorbs thermal energy from the sun and then stores this energy in the form of molten salts.
The salts are then pumped into a subcritical steam turbine, and that’s how it is converted into electricity, which then feeds into the South African grid. This project can power approximately 200,000 homes, and it can also provide power when the sun’s not shining, and it can store power for up to 12 hours. So yes, we are really proud to be partnering with them.
I think one of the biggest challenges in the carbon market is that it’s constantly changing. You have to really stay on top of things.
One kind of technology can be eligible one day, and then the next day it’s not eligible anymore. In addition, it can be quite burdensome to get a project all the way from development to validation, registration, verification and, finally, issuance.
We do find that there is a lack of understanding in the public sector. There’s also a lack of trust in carbon credits that still needs to grow. I think that’s one of the great things about working for a company like Anthesis where we supply this wide range of services.
Our clients are already on a sustainability journey, doing lots of different things. And if you see carbon credits from that perspective, it’s not a standalone solution but rather ,it’s one piece of a puzzle, then it really is a wonderful and powerful tool.
I feel that especially renewable energy, amongst other technologies, has the potential to really have a great impact on our climate and our planet. However, it needs to be at sufficient scale and carbon credits have the potential to provide the momentum that those technologies need to reach the exponential growth to really have an impact.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that people see it as a standalone measure, an industry where money is just thrown at someone doing something somewhere else and you don’t have to worry about it, and then you make these claims.
There’s also been widespread propaganda about greenwashing and so on, but the carbon market has really evolved a lot, including an integrity council that establishes principles for high integrity carbon credits.
I think from my side, I’d like to encourage people to really read up a bit more about carbon markets and expand their knowledge about it. Also, if you do have a project that you feel is quite interesting that has an environmental benefit and you’re wondering whether there’s carbon credit potential, reach out to us. Or if you are a corporate and you want to embark on a sustainability journey and you’re not sure where to start, reach out to us.
Contact Us
VUKA is the trusted media partner to key professionals, policy makers, suppliers and
manufacturers. We provide unparalleled opportunities for industry-wide connection.
