JUWI to operate 85 MW solar park in South Africa

Renewable energy group JUWI Renewable Energies has taken over the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the 85 MW De Aar 1 solar farm, which is located 500 km north of the coastal city of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. The solar farm, the third largest under management by JUWI in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) region, was developed under Bid Window 1 of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
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‘Disappointing’ drop in BCI not a signal of protracted recession despite GDP contraction

The RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI) fell from 42 to 39 in the third quarter, with 61% of the 1 200 senior executives surveyed in August unsatisfied with prevailing business conditions. Confidence among retailers and wholesalers remained comparatively high, while a notable improvement in sentiment among new vehicle dealers partly offset a 17-point deterioration in building confidence.
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City of Tshwane cuts power to Pretoria golf estate over R16m debt from illegal power connections

The City of Tshwane has disconnected electricity to more than 400 homes at Copperleaf Golf Estate in Pretoria in a bid to recover more than R16-million debt. The municipality visited the estate on Tuesday and found that numerous homes had bypassed their electricity meters.
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Eskom recovers the R30m it ‘unlawfully’ paid to former CEO Brian Molefe

Power utility Eskom says it has recovered the R30-million it “unlawfully” paid to its pension fund for the benefit of its former CEO Brian Molefe in 2016.  This follows a ruling by the North Gauteng High Court in July, which confirmed that Molefe needed to pay back portion of the pension that had already been paid out to him, about R10-million. 
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Hydrogen key part of green economy, but as part of diversified energy ecosystem

While hydrogen is expected to become a key element of the green economy worldwide, owing to the need to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to limit climate change within a short space of time, it is expected to be part of a diversified energy ecosystem.  There are applications for hydrogen in many sectors, but the sectors that have historically used hydrogen are expected to lead in its adoption, followed by other critical uses, air and gas handling products company Howden Renewable Hydrogen global market director Salah Mahdy said on September 6. 
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Struggles to implement projects holding back South Africa’s green hydrogen plans

Despite South Africa’s significant potential to become a major global player in green hydrogen production, platinum group metals producer Anglo American Platinum CEO Natascha Viljoen has voiced concern over how the country’s significant social and political challenges are undermining the ability to get hydrogen projects off the ground.  “If we consider everything that is required for us to build capital projects, to have access to land, to deliver on these projects, crime and corruption and our ability generate the skills are concerns,” she said during the second yearly Hydrogen Economy Discussion conference, held in Johannesburg on September 6. 
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Gauteng launches renewable energy, climate change school in Sedibeng

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has launched another school of specialisation with a focus on renewable energy and climate change, in Bophelong, Vanderbijlpark. The Dr Molefi Oliphant Maths, Science and Information and Communication Technology School of Specialisation will be the twentieth school of specialisation launched by the department.
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