Bokpoort CSP sets new winter production record

The Bokpoort concentrated solar power (CSP) project has set a new winter production record of 21.7 GWh in August, surpassing a prior winter record of 19.5 GWh set in 2017.

The 50 MW CSP parabolic trough power plant is now in its fifth year of operation, after being approved during the second bid window of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Produer Procurement Programme.

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Global trading platform key to unlocking competitiveness of green hydrogen

International cooperation will be key to unlocking the competitive production of green hydrogen as global trade will be required to link those countries, such as South Africa, that are best suited to producing the energy carrier, using a combination of low-cost renewable energy, water and electrolysis, with the main consuming markets in Asia and Europe. In fact, the secretary-general of the German branch of World Energy Council (WEC), Dr Carsten Rolle, says that all of the nine countries that have already developed national hydrogen strategies make explicit mention of the need for international cooperation and trade to support the development of green-hydrogen projects.
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Infrastructure projects fail when procurement is pursued administratively rather than strategically

An analysis of public infrastructure delivery in South Africa, prepared for consideration by the National Planning Commission (NPC), identifies the quality of procurement and client-delivery management as the main differentiators between those projects that have succeeded in recent years and those that have failed. Prepared by engineers Dr Ron Watermeyer and Dr Sean Phillips the analysis shows that, when a public-sector client adopts a strategic, rather than an administrative, stance to the design, procurement and implementation of infrastructure projects, value for money is typically secured.
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Renewables sentiment accelerated by pandemic, but ‘survival mode’ stands in way

Global lockdowns have highlighted the need for universal clean electrification as the natural environment has seemed to “rejuvenate spectacularly” in the wake of reduced human activity, offering a glimpse of what a cleaner world could look like, says global consultancy Kearney.

The Covid-19 pandemic’s abrupt arrival has disrupted the trajectory of many an industry and ushered in an unprecedented new socioeconomic era, the consultancy adds.

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