Stellenbosch Engineers Join UK-Led Study to Steady South Africa’s Power Grid
- This blog highlights a new international research collaboration aimed at improving the stability of South Africa’s power grid. Stellenbosch University, alongside UK and local partners, is contributing to a UK-funded study that uses data-driven methods, statistical physics, and machine learning to better understand and manage electricity supply and demand.
- The project focuses on addressing ongoing challenges such as load shedding, system instability, and reliance on diesel generators. By developing predictive models and exploring alternatives like solar and battery solutions, the research aims to reduce outages and support a more sustainable energy future.
- In addition to technical outcomes, the initiative also promotes skills development, collaboration, and knowledge exchange between South Africa and the UK, helping strengthen long-term capacity in energy research.
Dr Chantelle van Staden, senior lecturer in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Professor Cristina Trois, director of the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES), will help steer a new international study aimed at improving the stability of South Africa’s electricity network.
The project, backed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and led by Prof Christian Beck of Queen Mary University of London, teams Stellenbosch University with the University of the Free State. Titled Stability of the South African power grid: a data-driven statistical physics-based approach, the study carries £517,624 in funding—about R12.5 million at today’s exchange rate.
Background to the Study
Rolling outages and unexpected breakdowns still darken homes and factories nationwide. Many households turn to diesel generators for long stretches, a choice that strains budgets, degrades air quality, and hits lower-income communities the hardest.
Professor Beck’s group will map supply-and-demand swings with statistical physics and machine-learning tools. Insights from that work will feed models that predict demand peaks, outline steps to curb blackouts, and test quick-turn replacements for diesel sets, such as solar-plus-battery units. A parallel track trains neural networks to forecast wind-farm output under local weather patterns, giving operators firmer numbers for day-ahead planning.
“Modelling the South African grid in a data-driven manner lets us apply the full toolkit of statistical physics and complexity science for a lower-carbon future,” says Prof Beck. “Our aim is to understand, then improve, the stability of systems that rely on a growing share of renewables.”
The grant funds postdoctoral fellowships, researcher visits between South Africa and the UK, and specialist workshops — accelerating skills development and knowledge exchange that can help keep the lights on.
Read the full press release: https://www.eng.sun.ac.za/innovative-grid-stabilisation-solutions/
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