Adjunct Professor Lwazi Ngubevana
Energy Leadership
Courses and Disciplines taught at WBS:
Energy, specifically in the areas of energy decarbonisation and energy and environmental sustainability.
Research Interests:
Renewable energy; energy transitions; hydrogen economy; policy and legislation.
Industry and Professional Experience:
Lwazi Ngubevana is a chemical engineer, energy executive and academic with extensive global experience in renewable energy, investments, advisory, environment, and water desalination industries. He is registered as a Professional Engineer (Pr.Eng.), with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he is now an Adjunct Professor and Director of the African Energy Centre (AELC) at the Wits Business School.
Lwazi has extensive process design, business development, process re-engineering, project development and project management experience from conceptualisation, initiation to implementation. He is skilled in project finance, business case development and the development and implementation of valorisation strategies. He also has solid experience in policy and legislation, having worked with various government entities on renewable energy, water and environmental policy development and implementation.
Recent Publications and Scholarly Contributions:
L. Ngubevana (2018). Process Synthesis and the g-h space for analysing and optimising Biomass Gasification. International Journal of Chemoinformatics and Chemical Engineering, 7(1). DOI: 10.4018/IJCCE.2018010102.
Muvhiiwa, R., Hildebrandt, D., Chimwani, N., Ngubevana, L., & Matambo, T. (2017). The impact and challenges of sustainable biogas implementation: Moving towards a bio-based economy. Energy, Sustainability and Society 7, 20. doi.org/10.1186/s13705-017-0122-3.
Ngubevana, L. (2017). Sustainable development dilemmas of biofuels research and production: A snapshot in South Africa. International Journal of Energy Optimization and Engineering, 6(2). DOI: 10.4018/IJEOE.2017040102.
Liu, X., Ngubevana, L., & Hildebrandt, D. (2016). Challenges in designing a hybrid solar - carbonaceous feed stocks to liquid process. SolarPACES, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
International Experience:
From 2016 to 2018, Lwazi served as a Renewable Energy Advisor to the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Recent Media:
October 2021, article on Engineering News, Wits Business School, Siemens Energy sign collaboration agreement. (https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/wits-business-school-siemens-energy-sign-collaboration-agreement-2021-10-07/rep_id:4136)
October 2021, episode on CNBC Africa, Energy in Africa: Understanding the policy process needed to drive Africa’s clean energy transition. (https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/energy-in-africa-understanding-the-policy-process-needed-to-drive-africas-clean-energy-transition-2/)
September 2021, episode on CNBC Africa, Energy in Africa: Financing energy development in Africa. (https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/energy-in-africa-financing-energy-development-in-africa/)
(https://www.windaba.co.za/team/lwazi-ngubevana/)
(https://mdalaw.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Lwazi-Nguvevana-profile.pdf)
Ngubevana, Lwazi. (2021). The rise of the prosumer: The case for blockchain technology in South Africa’s electricity supply. The Daily Maverick. (https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-05-27-the-rise-of-the-prosumer-the-case-for-blockchain-technology-in-south-africas-electricity-supply/)
July 2021, article on Engineering News, SA needs Energy Leadership to power up. (https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sa-needs-energy-leadership-to-power-up-2021-07-12)
June 2021, article on Engineering News, Biofuels framework is inadequate. (https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/print-version/biofuels-framework-is-inadequate-2021-06-09)
Article on CNBC Africa, Africa’s new energy future relies on data-based decision making. (https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/africas-new-energy-future-relies-on-data-based-decision-making/)