By Charmaine Ndlela
The University of Pretoria (UP) has launched a South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Just Energy Transition, as the country accelerates efforts to shift from coal-heavy power towards cleaner energy while trying to protect jobs, affordability and social stability.
Led by Professor Roula Inglesi-Lotz and developed in partnership with Germany’s RWTH Aachen University, the Chair will focus on producing policy-relevant research on how economies can decarbonise without deepening inequality.
UP said the collaboration is designed to strengthen evidence for decision-makers navigating the trade-offs of transition in a carbon-intensive, unequal economy.
“A just energy transition” is widely used as a fairness-based approach to climate and energy reform, aimed at ensuring the shift to low-carbon systems is inclusive and does not leave workers and communities behind.
Inglesi-Lotz told the launch this week that the transition could not be reduced to a single policy lever or technology choice.
“The just energy transition is not a single policy choice or technological fix,” she said.
“It is a process of structural transformation that affects households, workers, firms and institutions simultaneously. The purpose of this Chair is to generate evidence that helps decision-makers navigate that complexity in a way that is both economically sound and socially just.”
UP said the partnership links two institutions approaching decarbonisation from different starting points, and is intended to support comparative work rather than “one-size-fits-all” prescriptions.
“Working across Pretoria and Aachen enables comparative analysis that is both analytically rigorous and practically grounded,” UP said.
“Germany’s experience with industrial decarbonisation, grid expansion and long-term planning offers valuable insight, while South Africa’s context foregrounds questions of justice, affordability and development. Together, the partnership rejects one-size-fits-all solutions in favour of context-sensitive transition pathways.”
UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Francis Petersen said skills and institutional capacity would be central to whether the transition succeeds.
“The theme of this launch, ‘Human capital for the just energy transition’, reflects a fundamental truth,” he said. “Without the right skills, institutional capability and social inclusion, the transition will not be sustainable. Universities have a responsibility to ensure that knowledge creation translates into social and economic value.”
UP said the Chair will support master’s and doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and early-career academics, including co-supervision and exchange opportunities between Pretoria and Aachen.
The Chair sits within SARChI, a South African government research programme established in 2006 and managed by the National Research Foundation (NRF) through a contractual agreement with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).
UP placed 448th worldwide and third in South Africa in the 2026 Webometrics global rankings.
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