3. Reference was made to energy as one of the Grand Challenges identified by DST, but information was limited regarding DST's role in alternative energy solutions and the amount spent on that. In response, the Committee was assured that though much of DST's involvement in the field of energy was at a research level, a considerable amount of work was being done on the energy front, especially in the field of hydro- energy and that a number of projects were under way. The Department's entity for energy research is the South African National Energy Research Institute (SANERI).