IEA calls for diversification of solar PV supply chains

Ensuring a secure transition to net-zero emissions will require increased efforts to expand and diversify the global production of solar panels, whose global supply chains are currently heavily concentrated in China, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said with the launch of a new report on solar photovoltaic (PV) global supply chains released on July 7. Chinese industrial and innovation policies that have focused on expanding solar panel production and markets have helped solar PV become the most affordable electricity generation technology in many places around the world, the agency points out.
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Eskom confirms strong flow of grid-connection applications for Bid Window 6 of renewables programme

Eskom’s Grid Access Unit reports that it has received payments for 179 cost estimate letters, or CELs, and has issued 53 such letters, following the April 6 issuance of a request for proposals (RFP) for Bid Window Six (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Speaking during a virtual bidders conference hosted by the IPP Office, the unit’s head, Azwimbavhi Mamanyuha, reported that a total of 219 grid-access applications had been received by Eskom in relation to BW6, the bid submission date for which is August 11.
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Solidarity calls on the private sector to apply for energy generation permits en masse

The only viable and sustainable solution to South Africa’s escalating electricity crisis is for small independent power producers (IPPs) to immediately flood the market on a large scale, trade union Solidarity’s Research Institute (SRI) has said. Through a concerted effort by the private sector – including businesses and private citizens alike – to invest in IPP capability, the country’s energy crisis could be resolved within months, the trade union said during a media briefing on July 8.
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Kibo commits to buying first VRFBs under agreement with CellCube

Renewable energy development company Kibo Energy has committed to buy, from energy storage system company CellCube, two vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) for proof-of-concept energy storage projects. Kibo in May entered into an agreement to acquire a 51% interest in National Broadband Solutions (NBS) from Hasta Trust and to jointly assess and develop a portfolio of long-duration energy storage (LDES) projects in Southern Africa.
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14 groups call on Mantashe to immediately commission more green power

As South Africans battle some of the worst load-shedding ever, there is growing pressure on Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to allow for more renewables and battery storage to address the deepening energy crisis. Fourteen civil society organisations, in an open letter, requested that Mantashe immediately issue determinations for the procurement of 13 600 MW of renewable energy and 1 575 MW of storage capacity.
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Eskom brings in former employees, manufacturers to deal with crisis

Eskom, which readily concedes it does not have the skills to maintain its plants, is on a drive to bring back former employees to mentor and train staff.  It is also, at last, bringing in the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to conduct maintenance on parts of its plants where its own engineers and artisans are having difficulty. This has previously been difficult due to red tape around public procurement.
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