Cape Advanced Engineering (Pty) Ltd has a rich engineering history as the centre of excellence in engine and fuel technology at Stellenbosch University between 1993 and 1999. CAE was privatised in 1999 and has since provided engine development products and support services to clients such as Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA), Ford, MBSA, Sasol, Chevron and BP, and equipment development services to Transnet and de Beers. In 2007, CAE made a shift to renewable energy and now specialises in the development, design, construction, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of unique and varied bio-gas plants. Building on CAE’s experience in the automotive industry, CAE’s bio-gas plants include in-house developed combined heat and power (CHP) generation units which are modular, containerised and achieve overall energy efficiency exceeding 85% in electricity and heating output. CAE operates several plants in Southern Africa, now operational for up to 8 years, which have set new standards in municipal waste water treatment and in agriculture, including proven crop enhancement at levels far exceeding what was thought to be possible. CAE is motivated by the environmental benefits of waste beneficiation, water reclamation and reuse, reduced GHG emissions, renewable power, the exceptional impact achieved by it’s bio-fertiliser products created through bio-digestion, now proven to significantly accelerate soil regeneration and increase plant health and crop yields and quality. Partnerships with progressive farmers are a key priority, towards increased farm profitability through renewable energy generation, soil regeneration, increased crop yields with lower input costs by using bio-fertiliser, also reducing the cost and carbon footprint related to synthetic fertilisers, and the minimised need for expensive and controversial agro-chemicals. Additional farm revenue from energy export and increased crop yields are a key objective of our development.
