As part of the HyREC²A project proposal, the challenges at the interface of water, energy and food systems (WEF nexus) are to be addressed in cooperation with local network partners. The core approach of DIT and SU is the collaborative and interdisciplinary exchange between South African and Bavarian partners in teaching and research in order to establish a mutual transfer of knowledge on the role of renewable energy systems in overcoming the energy and water crisis. One promising approach, for example, is the combination of hybrid energy systems from agrivoltaics and the energetic utilization of invasive biomass.
Key Data
- Short title: HyREC²A
- Research focus Sustainable Production & Energy Technologies
- Runtime: 15.11.2024 - 14.11.2027
- Sponsor: Bayerische Staatskanzlei
- Project leadership: Prof. Dr. Tobias Bader
Objectives
- 1. Establishment of sustainable cooperation networks of universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and industrial partners between Bavaria and South Africa in the field of renewable energies for solutions at the interface of water, energy and food systems (WEF-Nexus).
- 2. Systematic identification and initiation of joint research projects in the Western Cape with the following focus:
- Increasing municipal electricity supply security and identifying the potential for new value chains through decentralized energy supply with hybrid renewable energy systems
- Improving groundwater availability and water supply through the energetic use of invasive plant species
- Increasing efficiency in agriculture through water-saving agrivoltaics
- Determining the potential for carbon management approaches with bioenergy
- Analysis of the effects of a decentralized power supply using renewable hybrid energy systems through energy system simulations
- 3. Development, testing and establishment of a joint lecture module focusing on renewable energy solutions in the water-energy-food nexus using the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach. [1]
- Students from South Africa and Bavaria work together in mixed teams across borders to solve WEF Nexus Challenges identified in the network.
- Students who are unable to participate in traditional exchange programs for personal or economic reasons are given the opportunity to develop intercultural skills and network internationally.
- The module is designed in such a way that it can be extended to other priority countries of Bavarian development cooperation in Africa in the future.
Practical implementation:
Establishment of a central COIL facility at the TH-Deggendorf and Stellenbosch University equipped with the necessary digital technologies.
Project Partner: Stellenbosch University
[1] Technical University of Berlin. (2024). COIL in the context of internationalization of universities. Retrieved on 17.06.2024 from https://www.tu.berlin/bzhl/ressourcen-fuer-ihre-lehre/ressourcen-nach-themenbereichen/coil-im-kontext-von-internationalisierung-der-hochschulen