When former programme manager for the Rooivalk Helicopter Kobus Meiring moved onto his next project, the Southern African Large Telescope in the Western Cape, he looked up at the stars and saw the future. Meiring must have realised that the future was green, so in 2005 he co-founded Optimal Energy with former military experimental test pilot Mike Lombard, mechanical engineer Jian Swiegers, electronic engineer Gerhard Swart and aeronautical engineer Ratilal Rowji. Together they set about creating Africa's first zero-emission six-seater multi-purpose electric vehicle with support from the Department of Science & Technology's Innovation Fund and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
Less than 1% of the world's deserts could generate as much electricity as the world is currently using, according to an international network of scientists and engineers, and backed by detailed research by the German Aerospace Centre and the U.S. Department of Energy.