South Africa holds a distinct advantage in the global shift toward sustainable power: exceptional solar and wind resources. Yet, the availability of these natural resources does not automatically translate into a stable power supply. The variability of renewable sources places significant pressure on our national grid, which was historically designed for steady, centralised generation. 

On Thursday, 6 November 2025, Professor Arnold Rix addressed these issues in his inaugural lecture titled Creating Stability Through Disruption with Renewable Energy: from Challenges to Opportunities.

Professor Rix holds the Scatec Chair in Renewable Systems within the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. His work concentrates not merely on generating cleaner energy, but on the engineering required to make that energy reliable. He aims to close the distance between theoretical modeling and the physical reality of the grid.

The Challenge of Low-Inertia Grids

The central technical hurdle facing South Africa is grid stability. Traditional power stations provide inertia (a physical property that helps stabilise grid frequency when demand fluctuates). But solar and wind systems, connected via inverters, do not inherently provide this support. This means the country is effectively moving toward "low-inertia grids," or electricity systems with little built-in stability.

Professor Rix’s research group at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University confronts this by combining modeling, field experimentation, and system-level integration. They work to improve photovoltaic (PV) performance and degradation analysis, refine forecasting methods, and optimise hybrid storage. The objective is to design systems that do not just participate in the grid but actively support it.