RACA Journal I June 2026 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za 11
SOLAR AND BATTERIES
FROM SOLAR FIELDS TO COOLING LOADS
By Eamonn Ryan
What Solar & Storage Live Africa 2026 meant for HVAC & R and the built environment.
The Solar & Storage Live Africa held in Gauteng March – and later in the year in Cape Town – has firmly established itself as one of the most important gatherings for the energy sector on the African continent. Rather than functioning as a conventional trade exhibition alone, the event has evolved into a dense, fast-moving intersection between technology showcase, policy dialogue and real-world project financing conversations – all centred on the accelerating transformation of Africa’ s energy landscape.
Many of the panel discussions were of a high, intellectually stimulating calibre that were typically packed and provoked many questions.
While the exhibition floor draws significant attention with its scale and diversity of solar, storage, inverter and smart energy technologies, it is the conference programme that increasingly defines the strategic value of the event. While the supplier stands were primarily international, and especially dominated by Chinese suppliers, the panels were largely South African. Across multiple stages and sessions, industry leaders, policymakers, developers, financiers and technical specialists unpacked the realities of deploying renewable energy at scale in a context shaped by grid constraints, rapidly rising demand and ongoing energy insecurity. Topics ranged from utility-scale procurement and wheeling frameworks to behind-the-meter commercial and industrial solutions, as well as the growing role of battery storage in stabilising renewable-heavy systems. What emerged consistently across discussions was a recognition that energy transition in Africa is no longer theoretical – it is being driven by necessity, economics and system‘ resilience’( a word that featured in almost every sentence).
A particularly notable dimension of the 2026 event was the strong emphasis on practical implementation rather than conceptual optimism. Case studies and project-level insights highlighted how hybrid energy systems, microgrids and distributed generation are already reshaping how businesses and municipalities approach energy supply. Storage, in particular, featured prominently as the enabling layer that is allowing solar PV to move from an intermittent supplement to a more dispatchable and dependable resource. international events and exhibitions news
All images by © RACA Journal
A packed panel discussion.
RACA Journal I June 2026 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za 11