The Green House Case Studies Archive

The South African Coal Roadmap

Main sectors: MINING, ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE, INDUSTRY Client: The South African Coal Roadmap was a national initiative supported by the South African Government, the coal industry and related stakeholders (including Anglo Thermal Coal, BHP Billiton, Chamber of Mines, Coaltech, Eskom, Exxaro, Optimum Coal, SANEDI, Sasol, Shanduka, and Transnet). The initiative was coordinated and administered by the Fossil Fuel Foundation of Africa. Problem Statement: Stakeholders in the South African coal industry identified the need to detail and assess options and scenarios for the future development of the entire coal value chain with the aim of maximising the economic opportunities for coal as an energy and chemical resource, while maximising positive social impacts and minimising negative environmental impacts.. The Green House approach: The Green House was the technical project manager to the SACRM initiative. The project commenced with a research study to document the status quo of all of the stages in the value chain with respect to technologies employed, flows...Read More >

Development of a low carbon action plan for South Africa

Main sectors: MINING, ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE, INDUSTRY, MANUFACTURING, TRANSPORT Client: WWF South Africa Problem Statement: WWF South Africa identified the need to further understand the “why, what and how” of low-carbon planning in South Africa, which, like all emerging economies, faces a multitude of developmental challenges. The Green House was part of a consortium that undertook “blue skies” research to develop a practical approach to low-carbon planning. The Green House approach: Through a series of structured brainstorming sessions, desk-top research and testing, the consortium developed a low-carbon planning framework, which included: a carbon budget framing; stakeholder-developed quantitative systems modelling; a suite of low-carbon and development indicators; and an outline of the institutional and process requirements. Outcomes: A framework and set of tools to support low-carbon planning in South Africa was proposed, which has at its core the collaborative development of system dynamics models, undertaken through mediated modelling. The approach is framed by the concept of a carbon budget which...Read More >

Greenhouse gas mitigation in the transport sector in South Africa

Main sectors: TRANSPORT Client: WWF South Africa Problem Statement: WWF South Africa is active across the country in advocating for change towards a more sustainable environment. The transport sector is one which gives rise to a significant proportion of South Africa’s emissions; has high greenhouse gas mitigation potential and at the same time can contribute to social upliftment through provision of mobility to those who currently do not have access. This project sought to implement some of the outcomes from the previous low carbon action plan, through exploring both passenger and freight related mitigation opportunities. The Green House approach: The project consisted of three key components. The first of these, which constituted the bulk of the work, was the development of a systems dynamics model of the freight sector. Through system dynamics modelling, the impact of the wide range of variables and uncertainties which impact on decision makers’ choice of transport mode for the goods were demonstrated, thereby providing an...Read More >

CCS and the carbon tax

Main sectors: ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE Client: SANEDI Problem Statement: One of the greenhouse gas mitigation measures being explored in South Africa is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). In CCS, carbon dioxide is captured at the site of generation (such as a power station or industrial process), compressed and pumped deep underground or under the ocean into geological formations for long-term storage. At the time of conducting this project, South Africa was developing the structure for the carbon tax. This study was conducted to explore what impacts the introduction of the tax would have on the financial performance of CCS as a mitigation option. The Green House approach: The Green House built a comprehensive financial projection model for CCS, including all stages of capture, transport and injection/storage, using previous studies and the open literature as a basis. The impacts of various carbon tax designs on tax burden incurred by various companies generating emissions was then calculated, under a range of...Read More >

A user-friendly interface for South Africa’s Mitigation Potential Analysis

Main sectors: MINING, ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE, INDUSTRY, MANUFACTURING, TRANSPORT, URBAN SYSTEMS, AGRICULTURE Client: Department of Environmental Affairs Problem Statement: Planning for economy wide mitigation of greenhouse gases requires an in-depth understanding of the individual mitigation options, including the volume of greenhouse gases that they are able to reduce and by when, the capital and operating costs associated with their implementation and the impacts of implementing them on the economy of the country. In 2014 the Department of Environmental Affairs commissioned a study of these options which came to be known as the Mitigation Potential Analysis (MPA). This study was commissioned by the Department to convert the spreadsheet-based MPA into a user-friendly modelling system which they can easily update as new information becomes available. The study also sought to update certain components of the model where new information was readily available. The Green House approach: The Green House chose to use Analytica as the platform on which to build this...Read More >

Design of South Africa’s Climate Change Mitigation System

Main sectors: ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE Client: Department of Environmental Affairs Problem Statement: The National Climate Change Response White Paper identifies a number of instruments which South Africa has to implement to support mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, including allocation of carbon budgets and specification Desired Emission Reduction Outcomes (DEROs). Furthermore, the Air Quality Act imposes a requirement for greenhouse gas reporting for certain stakeholders. The Department has already implemented a number of actions for Phase 1 of what has come to be known as the climate mitigation system, which runs from 2016 to 2020. The Department commissioned this project for Phase 2 of the project, for the period post 2020. The Green House approach: The Green House is working with a consortium of partners on this project. The design of the post-2020 system takes into account the work that has been done to date, existing policy and legislation and global best practice towards developing a workable and fair approach...Read More >

Alignment of the carbon tax and carbon budgets

Main sectors: MINING, ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE, INDUSTRY Client: Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) Problem Statement: At the time of conducting this piece of work, National Treasury was developing a structure for the carbon tax, while the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) was trialling the first phase of a system to allocate carbon budgets to a selection of individual companies operating in South Africa. BUSA commissioned this piece of work to document areas of alignment and misalignment between these two instruments. The Green House approach: The Green House, in conjunction with our project partners DNA Economics, conducted a comprehensive analysis of all documents relevant to the tax and budget design and implementation, including the mandatory reporting regulations and pollution prevention plans regulations. Outcomes: The study results were compiled into a report submitted to BUSA. The findings of the study have provided a basis for BUSA to engage with Treasury and DEA on the design of the instruments.

Benchmarking South Africa’s industry’s GHG emissions

Main sectors: MINING, ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE, INDUSTRY Client: National Treasury, with funding from the World Bank. Problem Statement: The design of the carbon tax at the time of this project provided a tax benefit for companies whose performance was better than the average, also known as the “Z-factor”. This study was commissioned to explore how a benchmark could be set for different products or processes against which individual company operational performance could be assessed. The Green House approach: Working in conjunction with the European consultancy Ecofys, The Green House conducted an extensive review of how benchmarking is conducted internationally. This was followed by comprehensive data gathering on energy usage and emissions in individual processes, where this was available in the public domain, to determine the types of information that might be available for benchmark setting. Using this information, the project team developed a set of recommendations for setting benchmarks for different industrial sectors and products. Outcomes: The study provided...Read More >

The climate change mitigation technology plan for South Africa

Main sectors: ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE, INDUSTRY, TRANSPORT, URBAN SYSTEMS, MANUFACTURING AND RETAIL Client: Department of Environmental Affairs Problem Statement: The Department of Environmental Affairs is tasked with accelerating the uptake of greenhouse gas mitigation technologies in South Africa. This study was commissioned by the Department with the aim of identifying key barriers to the uptake of a selection of mitigation technologies, and proposing actions to overcome these barriers. The Green House approach: The Green House, in conjunction with partners DNA Economics, conducted an extensive review and analysis of existing policy experience with respect to the target technologies’ roll out in order to document the status quo. An extensive stakeholder engagement process was undertaken to gather experience on barriers from individual role players, and to obtain their views on how these can be overcome. Outcomes: The findings from the analysis were compiled into a report which provides a set of recommendations for actions which DEA and other government departments can...Read More >

Biochar potential in South Africa

Main sectors: AGRICULTURE, ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE Client: Department of Environmental Affairs Problem Statement: Biochar is manufactured by burning organic material in a reduced oxygen environment. The product can be burnt as an energy source, used in water treatment, added to animal feed and chicken litter, and in many other applications. However one of the main interests in biochar globally is in its potential to be applied to the land, thereby both capturing the carbon in the biochar for extensive periods of time, and at the same time improving soil quantity. The Department of Environmental Affairs commissioned this study to determine the potential for biochar to contribute to carbon sequestration in South Africa. The study was to look at feedstock sources, technologies for biochar manufacture and suitable soils and locations for biochar application. The Green House approach: The project commenced with a detailed literature review of international experience in production of biochar. It then went on to map the geographical...Read More >