About Us
Background to Net Zero Africa
Net Zero Africa is a relatively new company that was incorporated in 2021. It is based upon the collective experience and vision of the four founding directors. Four of the directors were drawn from ‘Blue Crane Green Energy’ (BCGE) which is a company with similar vision, technology and approach to that of Net Zero Africa. Net Zero Africa is concentrating on a set of new business opportunities while BCGE is advancing a number of projects in Gauteng that are not only energy focused initiatives.
Net Zero Africa has a broad vision that particularly targets the provision of reliable distributed ‘time of use’ (baseload) energy at competitive rates that are lower than the main grid offering. The profile of the partners clearly reflects the common commitment to efficiency, reliability and socio-economic development and equitability. It is these common commitments that drew the directors together.
The experience of the Net Zero directors in finance (Deutschebank UK), engineering (Thermex Carbontech SA), socio-economic development (Blue Crane Green Energy) and the United Nations Development Programme in South Africa) and sustainable development (the United Nations Development Programme Energy & Environment Group) are all brought to bear on the projects that Net Zero Africa develops with businesses requiring reliable, ‘time of use’ renewable energy. Net Zero Africa combines the directors’ experience in elements like sound business practices, socio-economic development and sustainable production processes. Much of this was gained long before there was general recognition of the imperative to transform production to sustainable, circular approaches. The directors’ common understanding of the existential crisis facing the world and the need to mainstream sustainability into production is what drove the establishment of Net Zero Africa and provided the rationale for the chosen company name.
Who we are
The Comapnies facilitated by localised Economic Developers and Businesses supports a just and equitable transition to a ‘low carbon’ economy in a practical way that is also sensitive to the precious value of fresh water resources and biodiversity – both of which elements are enhanced rather than compromised through the Net Zero Africa processes.
Our Team
Motsoasele Leballo
Edward Russell
Barry Canning
He currently consults to MBSA on external stakeholder strategy and development which also requires extensive engagement with national and local government entities. In addition to his private consulting, Barry sits on the Board as a Non-Executive Director for varies companies and organisations where he is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors, DaGama Textiles. With Barry’s Manufacturing and Project Management experience he brings a wealth of knowledge to the team and is one of the co-founders of NetZero Africa (PTY) Ltd.
Barry holds an MBA from Henley Business School in UK, Project Management from Cape Town University as well as Engineering and Technical qualifications
With a grounding in laboratory-based research at Thermex Carbontech, Brian went on to lead development of both the manufacture and application, before also taking responsibility for the marketing, of Activated Carbon, Reactivation Services and other specialised carbon products, and focusing Thermex as a thermal process and engineering [as applied to organic materials] specialist.
Activated Carbon – During this time Thermex successfully took its innovative, proprietary technologies into the international market and proceeded to design, build, install and operate Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) processing plants in South Africa, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Poland for some of the world’s leading food and chemical producers.
Renewable Energy – Brian was a part of the research team when Thermex first designed, built and operated a pyrolysis system in the late ‘80s. Based on this experience and under Brian’s direction, the team more recently developed a unique pyrolysis/combustion process from first principles. The first unit of this type was operated in Johannesburg during the better part of 3 years, before the team went on to acquire an Environmental Authorisation and then build and install a commercial plant of this type during 2011. Operation of the facility allowed the team to demonstrate consistent production of both high-quality renewable energy and biochar.
Having been personally involved in all of its development, Brian brings a wealth of experience in and intimate knowledge of this propriety capital, both in the technology and in the development of projects, and recognizing that Motsi, Eddy and Richard bring invaluable knowledge and experience in project development and financing, Brian teamed up with them to form Blue Crane Green Energy and commence focused development of Renewable Energy projects across Southern Africa.
Motsoasele Leballo
Over six years as a member of the executive team at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) South Africa, Motsoasele primarily headed up the Governance Regional Integration & Local Economic Development Practice Area, at country level. His being assigned to be the personal advisor and staffer to the late United Nations Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan, during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002, opened up his passion for environmentally focused sustainable development. Further gaining great experience in this field by being appointed in 2006 as staffer and advisor to the President and CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the GEF Global Assembly, Cape Town South Africa.
Working within environmentally focused Sustainable development within the development finance sector, led to Motsoasele taking a greater focus on the negative impact of climate change on the creation of sustainable communities, environmentally managed ecosystems and ‘green’ business practices. It was this focus that fostered the establishment of Blue Crane Green Energy with like-minded professionals, as a vehicle that builds renewable energy systems that contribute to adaptive energy production systems and thus the mitigation of greenhouse gases.
Andrew Murray
Andrew Murray is a highly experienced policy researcher with more than 25 years of experience in policy development, implementation support and monitoring and evaluation in the fields of economic development and infrastructure development.
He has served in a number of public sector leadership rolls including as an accounting officer, as technical advisor, as ministerial advisor and as board and council member of a number of entities including StatsSA, SITA, and Walter Sisulu University.
He currently runs his own consulting and advisory service, with a particular focus on innovation and entrepreneurship eco-system building, institutional development and the green economy.
He is increasingly drawn to ideas about social entrepreneurship and investment that has high social and environmental returns, hence his involvement in Net Zero Africa.
Edward Russell
Edward has more than 35 years of experience in sustainable development. He initiated a programme of development training and research at Natal University to prepare future leaders in South Africa and was an early pioneer of the concept of ‘sustainable development’. He founded and managed a non-profit organisation engaging in research and support for poor communities to maximise the sustainable use of their natural resources.
He served in a senior executive position as the Assistant Resident Representative and Head of Sustainable Development for the United Nations Development Programme Country Office in South Africa for 6 years where he built the third largest Global Environment Facility portfolio of sustainable projects in the world. He was the Coordinating Focal Point for the World Summit on Sustainable Development for the UN System in SA from 2001-2003. He later served as Head of Monitoring and Evaluation for the UNDP Energy and Environment Group in the African Region supporting more than 50 projects (in excess of $180 million) over a 6-year period.
Since leaving UNDP Edward has undertaken many studies and initiatives in line with his passion for sustainable and equitable development. These have included studies for: UNDP in Africa and Eastern Europe; USAID in Africa; Dept. For International Development (DFID, Britain) in Africa; the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC); the EU in Lesotho and elsewhere; Ethical Trade Norway; as well as the SA National Treasury and other South African institutions.
Edward is committed to efforts to address global warming and the realisation of a ‘circular economy’ in which hard-won resources extracted from the earth are fully utilised and not dumped to become environmental hazards and to processes through which biodiversity is enhanced rather than eroded.
Richard von Seidel
The combination of a 15-year career in mainstream Investment Banking before embarking on an entrepreneurial adventure which has included wine making, renewable energy and finance businesses, makes Richard von Seidel an expert in emerging markets finance and investments with an insight into new developments.
Richard spent 15 years working in the investment banking becoming Managing Director at Deutsche Bank in London. During his tenure he worked on portfolio investment strategy, BEE structuring, multi-asset class investing, alternative assets, trading strategies, listed warrants, trackers and private equity. Driven by innovation and his unique perspective into the constraints of developed and emerging economic and regulatory conditions he is putting his energy and experience behind transformative companies.
His obsession with biomass to energy is rooted in the belief that the twin evils of fossil fuel release and societal waste can be best dealt with through intelligent management of the waste stream to produce usable products and energy. He found a home for this view in Net Zero Africa, bringing South African ingenuity with world class technology to create a carbon negative, landfill negative, societal positive and economically attractive proposition.