Gregory Ireland

Activities

• Co-ordination and work between UCT, RLI, and other partners for a nation-wide energy access mapping and planning project for the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Integrated energy system modeling using open-source tools, including using the Open-Source Spatial Electrification Toolkit (OnSSET)
• Developing joint funding proposals for new research projects between UCT and RLI
• Facilitating the exchange of knowledge, methodologies, and researcher exchanges between Germany and South Africa

Personal Information

Gregory Ireland is a Researcher within the Off-Grid Systems Unit at RLI since November 2020. Previously, he had already been working as a Guest Researcher in the same Research Unit since August 2020. He is a South African multi-disciplinary energy systems research engineer specializing in the application of data-driven integrated energy system assessment and planning frameworks in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is currently working within the Energy Systems Research Group in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa and varied private consulting.

His key focus areas are geospatial energy access provision using distributed energy solutions, as well as national-scale energy sector infrastructure planning and transitions in Africa. He is also the developer of the open-source python Techno-Economic Mini-grid Optimization and Planning Tool (TEMPO).

He has broad expertise and interests and advocates for seeking an integrated understanding of complex systems in a rapidly changing world. His work attempts to bridge the science-policy boundary and create knowledge for change informing government policies, private investment, and civil action.

Gregory holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Cape Town. Past experience includes engineering for the South African national electricity utility Eskom at the head-office Generation Plant Engineering Systems Integration Department – where he worked in varying capacity on every type of electricity generation technology within South Africa. Other past research areas have included hydrogen energy systems, smart-grid flexible demand evaluation, impact assessments used in legal action against new coal power plant development, linked energy and macro-socio-economic modelling, and renewable energy resource mapping.

Other interests and hobbies of his include yoga, meditation, nature exploration, Muay Thai kickboxing, and bonsai tree cultivation.