Cape Town mayor objects to Eskom’s request for 20.5% tariff hike

Cape Town is asking South African state-owned power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. to withdraw its request for a 20.5% increase in tariffs for 2022/23, saying residents of the country’s second-largest city can’t afford the hike. “That is totally unfordable, unfair and will do profound damage to our economy and families here in Cape Town,” Geordin Hill-Lewis, mayor of Cape Town, said on the Democratic Alliance’s Twitter account. The DA is the country’s opposition party and governs the Western Cape province.
/by

Suspected cable thief killed in shootout with police at Mpumalanga power station

Three suspected cable thieves have been arrested and one died after a shootout with police in Mpumalanga. Police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said police were informed that the trio was stealing copper cables at Matla Power Station in Kriel on Wednesday.
/by

Rand Merchant Bank headline sponsor for Solar Power Africa

Financial services firm Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) has been announced as the headline sponsor for solar power and energy storage industry event Solar Power Africa, which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from February 16 to 18, industry body South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) said. Organised by events firm Messe Frankfurt in partnership with SAPVIA, Solar Power Africa is a three-day event and attendees will benefit from direct access to expert insights and solutions to a range of challenges, as well as key trends and developments in the renewable energy market.
/by

Ngonye sun-tracking solar plant in Zambia a pioneer in sub-Saharan Africa

Renewable energy multinational Enel Green Power’s (EGP’s) Ngonye solar plant, in the Lusaka South Multi Facility Economic Zone, is using tracking systems that feature solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to track the movement of the sun throughout the day, capturing sunlight and converting the energy into electricity. EGP highlights that this is the only site in sub-Saharan Africa to use tracking technology from Convert Italia, with the choice to use this made when designated land from the solar farm was not large enough to accommodate the planned infrastructure.
/by