The presentation of the annual Southern African Energy Efficiency Awards was one of the highlights of the 14th Southern African Energy Efficiency Conference held in November 2019.
The awards are presented by the Southern African Energy Efficiency Confederation (SAEEC) which, as an official Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), provides a platform for winners in the Southern African region to be recognised locally as well as regionally and internationally, for their contribution to the industry. The award winners are automatically entered into the AEE regional and international awards programmes.
Award winners Alf Hartzenburg and colleagues from the NCPC-SA are congratulated by Lisa Reynolds (at left), then President of the SAEEC.
Hall of Fame 2019
NCPC-SA’s Alf Hartzenburg was inducted into the SAEEC’s Hall of Fame for energy efficiency. The
Hall of Fame recognises individuals for their lifetime achievements in promoting the practices and principles of energy management and is the highest honour the confederation bestows on an individual.
Hartzenburg is a deserving recipient. His career over 34 years in the manufacturing sector spanned leadership roles in operations, logistics and general management and he pioneered the adoption of cleaner production methodologies in the textile and apparel sub-sectors.
As National Project Manager of the South African Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) Project, launched by the NCPC-SA (National Cleaner Production Centre, South Africa) and UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation), Hartzenburg trained more than 3 000 energy managers and engineers in South Africa and facilitated the development of two national qualifications in energy efficiency. Over this time the NCPC-SA recorded energy savings of 5.7 terawatt hours, mitigating 5.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and, in the process, saved industry R4.6 billion.
When Hartzenburg shifted from the broad focus on environmental resource efficiency in his early career to a specific focus on energy efficiency, he undertook a number of specialised training courses with the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and UNIDO to equip himself for the role of guiding the IEE Project through eight progressive years. He holds CEM and CMVP certifications and is a UNIDO Energy Management, Steam and Fans systems expert. He facilitated the implementation of the ISO 50001 aligned energy management system in more than 30 industrial plants and supported ISO 50001 certification in a further six companies.
Hartzenburg conducts energy system assessments and provides technical assistance to industrial plants regularly, working in South Africa as well as internationally. He is an ETDP SETA certified facilitator and continues to conduct various training workshops as well as serving on a number of advisory panels.
Dr Herman Carstens took top accolades as Energy Engineer of the Year and Top Certified Energy Manager (CEM) Student of the Year. Carstens has done pioneering work on the development of the M&V (measurement and verification) guidelines that will be of great value to the South African energy sector and internationally. The M&V guidelines and online tools developed expand on an already mature process to include automation and additional metrics such as uncertainty.
Martjie Cloete was honoured as Female Energy Professional of the Year. With a long career in the energy industry, extending from private consulting to, more recently, government, Cloete has been instrumental in saving water and electricity in the Western Cape. Managing 89 electricity shared savings facilities and 60 water shared savings facilities, she has exceeded the set electricity savings targets by almost 25% and the water savings targets by 70%. The judges particularly commended her understanding of energy management principles, savings monitoring and management of people across multiple buildings/sites.
Bryan Majola was recognised as the Young Energy Professional of the Year. Majola is a newcomer on the block and has shown commitment to the industry by disseminating information and participating in various international training and project initiatives where he showed his talent and innovation in the energy efficiency field.
Lorraine Jenks was recognised as the Energy Innovator of the Year. Jenks has used her extensive experience in the hospitality industry to the benefit of the energy industry by working consistently on energy efficiency and related green activities. Through her websites and other activities she shares information widely and assists millions of consumers world-wide to access ‘green’ products, thus facilitating the greening of the planet.
Louis Lagrange received the Energy Educator of the Year award. They say that, ‘Once trained by Louis Lagrange, you never forget the experience’. He has trained students in over 75 courses and has developed numerous others, enabling people to change their lives by understanding the complex topic of energy efficiency and its role in sustainable development in the Southern Africa context. Lagrange has worked in South Africa and several other African countries as well as in Sri Lanka.
Energy projects
South Africa’s National Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) Project was recognised as the Industrial Energy Project of the Year. As one of the most successful projects to date in SA, it has delivered unparalleled results and operates on an ambitious scale. The NCPC-SA’s IEE Project aims to enhance energy efficiency through extensive training, practical application and continuous involvement with industry to institute energy-efficient practices.
(The NCPC-SA is a programme of the Department of Trade & Industry and is hosted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.)
LTM Energy’s submission was recognised as the Commercial Energy Project of the Year as it demonstrates the importance of a holistic view in new developments, taking into consideration energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency and security, indoor comfort, and upskilling of the local community – and delivering commendable resource savings.
EnergyDrive was recognised as the Energy Services Company (ESCo) of the Year.
BKB Ltd won the award for Industrial Corporate Energy Company of the Year.
For more information contact the Secretary General of the SAEEC, email: secgen@saeec.org.za