The Netherlands supports South Africa’s goals in achieving a green sustainable economy through the Just Energy Transition, and recognises that partnering with South Africa in this endeavour is also essential for The Netherlands’ own climate ambition. In the Energy Strategy 2050, the Dutch government set down its priorities for (inter)national action for a just energy transition. Part of this strategy is focussed on exporting Dutch knowledge on renewable energy and assisting companies active in this sector.  South Africa’s Just Energy Transition is important for creating inclusive economic growth which in turn is beneficial for bilateral trade and investment between the Netherlands and South Africa. 

In April 2025, the South African Cabinet approved the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) to boost energy security and industrial development planning to increase its renewable capacity by up to 5 GW annually. The SAREM seeks to expand renewable energy capacity and battery storage solutions in the coming years, considering that the country’s demand is expected to double by 2040. The SAREM will seek to leverage green industrialisation opportunities from the country’s deployment of (mainly) wind, solar and battery storage facilities. 

Key elements of the SAREM are to: 1) support local demand for renewable energy and storage 2) drive industrial development by building renewable energy value chains by 3) supporting suppliers in the renewable energy sector and 4) build local capabilities and technological innovation. Through the interventions in SAREM, South Africa also wants to become a supplier of renewable-energy components on the African continent. 

OBJECTIVES

1.    Identify concrete business opportunities for Dutch Companies in the solar energy and battery storage market in South Africa. 
2.    Map the relationship between various stakeholders in solar energy and battery storage and identify the Dutch companies currently active in the solar energy and battery storage market in South Africa. 
3.    Critically discuss the impact of the political and economic dynamics on the solar and battery storage market. 
4.    Identify Dutch comparative advantage (technologies, skills) and describe the value proposition for the South African solar and battery storage market. 

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The market study will be conducted to provide concrete opportunities for Dutch businesses on how, and with which South African institutions or companies, they can best collaborate. A clear overview of the actors in the South African solar and battery storage market is expected - outlining their specific role in the renewable energy sector - and outlining potential connections between South African firms and Dutch firms in these sectors.  
In the study, the focus should be on economic opportunities in two pillars of renewable-energy as in the SAREM; 1) solar energy 2) battery storage facilities and its value chain. 

The market study should contain the following information: 

1. General

A brief overview of renewable energy sector in South Africa 
•    Policies developments in the energy and energy financing areas ( private sector financing dynamics should also be covered). 
•    Market trends for the solar energy and battery storage sectors in South Africa (both on the demand and supply side)
•    South Africa’s flag ship energy infrastructure projects – overviews and potential for Public Private Partnership. Coverage of foreign company participation or opportunity for participation is most useful here.

2.    Ecosystem mapping 

Overview of the most important actors in the renewable energy sector in South Africa. 
•    Government – government agencies and state own enterprises. 
•    Companies – and their geographical positioning and market penetration.
•    Knowledge institutions – key research areas and innovations

3.    A survey of Dutch companies currently participating in the South African renewable energy market  - looking at opportunities and challenges these companies are facing.

4.    Overview of Dutch companies interested in expanding to South Africa – highlighting key projects or investments. 

5.    Opportunities for interventions 

•    A list of opportunities for businesses from the Netherlands in the renewable energy sector in South Africa. 
•    Possibilities for funding of projects (Invest, FMO, EU, KfW, WB)
•    Overview of public tender procedures in South Africa (when they take place, how they work etc)
•    A cross matching of Dutch and South African companies who has potential for collaboration. 
 

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES 

1.    Market study, submitted electronically in English containing, apart from the above explained content, the following chapters / attachments:
•    a list of abbreviations and acronyms;
•    summary of the results; 
•    description of the methodology; 
•    list of stakeholders consulted with contact details;
•    list of references consulted. 
•    Infographics displaying key outcomes or visualisation of networks. 

2.    Wrap-up session with the Embassy/Consulate General of the Kingdom and the Netherland and other relevant departments / ministries in the Netherlands to discuss the findings, outcomes and recommendations of the market study. The service provider will prepare a proposal for the wrap-up meeting that will take place at the embassy or virtually no longer than one month after the in depth study has been completed.

3.    Presentation of the main outcomes of the study during a Webinar for Dutch companies, that will be organized by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Netherlands Consulate in Cape Town. 
 

PROJECT TIMELINE

The service provider will organise and facilitate a meeting with the Embassy after 8 weeks to present its interim findings and progress. The market study should be submitted electronically within 16 weeks of the signing of the contract. The Embassy will provide feedback within one week after which the service provider will have two weeks to incorporate it and resubmit the study. The Embassy reserves the right to not accept the final product if it fails to meet the requirements. 

RESEARCHER QUALIFICATIONS

The service provider needs to meet the following requirements: 
•    Knowledge of South Africa, including the socio-economic context and the renewable energy sector. 
•    An extensive network among relevant government, companies active in the renewable energy sector and private sector actors.
•    Experience in qualitative and quantitative research, analysis and data interpretation; 
•    Understanding of organisational governance; 
•    Expert(s) with an MSc. degree in a relevant field; 
•    Excellent command of the English language.
 

BUDGET

Total RVO budget is 20.000,- Euros including VAT.

OUTPUT FORM

The draft study, of a maximum of 15 pages, should be sent to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in South Africa and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) through electronic mail. 
The content of the study is subject to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) under the European Accessibility Act (EAA): this is a legal framework focused on enhancing accessibility across industries in the EU, while WCAG provides global technical standards for accessible digital content.
The contractor is responsible for delivering a market study that complies with the EAA/WCAG and therefore is to apply the enclosed layout instructions (Enclosure 1:  Zip file market study – marktrapport).
Before submitting the final draft, the contractor is advised to apply the PDFchecker (enclosure 2) and repair any WCAG deficiencies.
The first draft of the market report will be checked by the BDC on the use of this format by the contractor.

The report is considered final after approval by the EKN and RVO. The final report should be delivered to both the RBD team and RVO in electronic version.

The final report should also be presented to a group of relevant Dutch parties in the renewable energy sector during a webinar. This webinar will highlight the opportunities in the region and the identified local partners and will be arranged by RVO.

RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONDUCT

The contractor commits itself to act in accordance with international guidelines (such as OECD) on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) taking into consideration the consequences of its activities for human beings (think of labour rights), animals, the environment and nature (think of natural resources and pollution). The report will therefore also include in the deliverables a reflection on identified and potential RBC risks in the renewable energy industry in South Africa, more specifically the regions that are the focus areas of this market study. It will also highlight potential mitigation measures. These can also include opportunities such as making a particular contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Methodology and use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

For the market research a combination of desk research and field work (e.g. key expert interviews, both live and video call, if necessary) will be required. 

When conducting this market study, the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools is allowed. It is foreseen that the use of these GAI tools could limit the amount of time spent on desk study, leaving more time for other research methods like interviews with key experts. 

However, specific conditions apply to the use of GAI-tools. They should be used in a transparent and complementary way to more traditional research tools, while data generated with Generative Artificial Intelligence need to be properly validated. 

Moreover, when using a GAI-tool, this will need to be an LLM that has been contracted by your firm, as the use of free LLM’s is deemed too risky with regards to control over data flows and personal data . In addition, European GAI-providers are preferred over GAI-providers from other countries like the USA; the use of GAI’s from China is forbidden. 

Finally, when using a GAI-tool, we require that the used prompts will be shared with RVO in a separate file, after the conducting of the market study has been finalized. 

In the proposal for this market study, it is required to include a paragraph on:

a. Whether you plan to use a GAI-tool; 
b. If so, which GAI-tool you plan to use; 
c. How your company plans to use the GAI-tools
d. How the GAI-generated results are validated.

COPYRIGHT

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency will have the exclusive copyright on the study and will be the only organizations allowed to copy and distribute the study. A summary of the final version of the study will be published on the RVO website, and the full study will be available upon request through a form on RVO.nl.

COMMUNICATION

Questions, work plan, drafts, reports and other deliverables and communication shall be addressed to Mr. Johnson of the EKN, ryan.johnson@minbuza.nl 

CONTRACTING PARTIES

•    The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cape Town, represented by 
Mr. Ryan Johnson, Senior Policy Official, ryan.johnson@minbuza.nl; 
•    The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), represented by Auke Boere, Sr. Business Developer Africa, auke.boere@rvo.nl.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested service providers should submit their proposals to Ryan Johnson at ryan.johnson@minbuza.nl by 15 December 2025. The proposal should be a maximum of 4 pages and include the following:
•    Your understanding of the project;
•    Methodology, including information on scoring matrix that will be used to compare institutions;
•    Budget; 
•    Timeline; 
•    Motivation on meeting criteria for service providers.