Independent chrome ore producers group ChromeSA has welcomed the finalisation by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) of a short-term framework for negotiated pricing agreements, which will allow companies negatively affected by the high costs of power to negotiate lower electricity tariffs with those entities who supply their power. “This welcome move by government will provide critical support to our colleagues in the ferrochrome industry, who have highlighted the desperate impact that escalating power costs have on their ability to compete in global markets.
Black-owned and women-led solar company Power4Less, which was launched earlier this year by Juliet Mwakutuya, Dineshree Naidu and Nafeesa Fareed, aims to supply rent-to-own solar solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger company. “From our experience South African businesses are embracing solar solutions from SMEs to large corporates,” Fareed says.
The roll-out of renewable energy at the scale envisaged in South Africa’s official electricity plan to 2030 presents a “remarkable” industrialisation opportunity, the leader of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) project team, Francis Jackson, argues. Jackson, who is also a GreenCape special adviser, cautions, however, that the local industrial capacity built between 2010 and 2015 – when South Africa was procuring new capacity on a regular basis under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) – has since been downscaled and will have to be rebuilt.
Last month, multinational power solutions provider Cummins announced the launch of its new PowerCommand Microgrid Control product line for managing, coordinating and optimising distributed energy resources (DER) – such as the MGC300 and MGC900.
The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) continues to take years to move through the various phases – from initiating tenders to delivering energy to the end-user – which, considering the challenges that South Africa is facing, is a luxury the country cannot afford, says technology provider NEC XON alternative energy sales head Wessel Wessels.
The South African Wind Energy Association (Sawea) has applauded the South African government for the progress made in policy over the last 12 months, beginning with the gazetting of the Integrated Resource Plan 2019 (IRP 2019) and all the hard work done, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, to ensure its commitment to the stabilisation of future growth for the renewable power sector.
Next year, 2021, is poised to be a pivotal one for South Africa’s renewable-energy sector – for real this time! The industry will have an opportunity, finally, to participate in the fifth bid window of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), the bid documentation for which will be released in January.
A flagship renewable energy project, commissioned by Amazon and to be rolled out by SOLA Group, is set to demonstrate the flexibility and convenience of procuring independent power through the electricity grid. The project will see 28 GWh of solar energy wheeled via State-owned power utility Eskom’s grid from a solar farm in the Northern Cape to Amazon’s facilities each year.
Financial services company Standard Bank Group has published its Fossil Fuels Financing Policy (FFFP) as part of its efforts to improve its management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and contribute to the sustainable development of Africa.
This follows the 2019 adoption of policies on lending for coal-fired power projects and coal mining operations specifically.
This follows the 2019 adoption of policies on lending for coal-fired power projects and coal mining operations specifically.
The 2020s represent a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for countries, companies and investors to scale zero-carbon industries that will stimulate growth, support more resilient economies and create millions of jobs, a newly released global report argues. Titled ‘The Paris Effect: How the climate agreement is reshaping the global economy’, the report has been published by global consultancy SYSTEMIQ, a Certified B Corporation founded in 2016 to drive the achievement of the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. B Corporations are for-profit companies that seek to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
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