Platinum industry sees value in offshore wind-to-hydrogen technology

Sustainable offshore energy production could help deliver cost-competitive green hydrogen, which the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) says could play a significant role in the transition away from fossil fuels. Green hydrogen is produced by the electrolysis of water, which is, in turn, powered by renewable energy such as wind or solar. The wind provides infinite, free energy that generates the electricity needed by the electrolyser to produce green hydrogen at source.
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Billions in climate funds have South Africa agencies tussling

One of the biggest announcements from last year’s COP26 climate talks was a pledge by some rich countries to provide $8.5-billion to help South Africa transition away from coal. Now different interests within the country are tussling over how that money should be distributed. Eskom Holdings, the embattled state-owned utility, is proposing that a substantial portion be used to expand the grid in order to encourage more investment in renewable electricity, according to people familiar with the situation.
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Manufacturer provides tailored lighting solutions

Lighting manufacturer BEKA Schréder carries out a full evaluation of a site, including lighting audits and design, to ensure that the lighting effectively performs according to the necessary standards of the application. The visual tasks in various manufacturing and processing industries are very important, therefore, the lighting has to comply to the correct standard to ensure not only the safety of employees, but also the environment. “For all indoor and outdoor applications, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has put South African National Standards (SANS) documents in place to ensure that all required lighting levels are adhered to in warehousing applications,” says BEKA Schréder marketing and segment development manager Grant Combrink.
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Nzimande outlines key role for green hydrogen in recovery as he launches Hydrogen Society Road Map

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande made a direct link between the country’s plans to produce green hydrogen for export and domestic markets and the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) when officially unveiling the Hydrogen Society Road Map (HSRM) on Thursday. Nzimande said that he viewed the HSRM as one of the “leading instruments” for the economic recovery being pursued by government under the ERRP.
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South African green energy transition can create 250 000 more jobs over 25 years – GWEC

The shift from coal-fired to clean energy in South Africa could deliver an additional 250 000 jobs and more than $10-billion, or R150-billion, in gross value-add to the economy over 25 years, if an ambitious green recovery is pursued, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) states in its ‘Capturing Green Recovery Opportunities from Wind Power in Developing Economies’ report. The energy transition, kickstarted with the commitment of $8.5-billion in financing agreed at COP26, would also deliver enormous decreases in carbon emissions equivalent, as well as save more than 50 Mℓ/y of water from 2026, the global body says.
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South32 to proceed with energy efficiency project at Hillside smelter

Diversified miner South32 has made a final investment decision on the roll out of the AP3XLE energy efficiency project at its Hillside aluminium smelter, in Kwazulu-Natal. The technology has already been deployed at the company’s Mozal aluminium smelter in Mozambique.
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Swedish agency provides funding to help develop technologies for a small nuclear reactor

The Swedish Energy Agency, which falls under the Sweden’s Ministry of Infrastructure, has awarded funding of $10.6-million to support the construction of a demonstrator small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) in the country. The funding has been granted to Swedish Modular Reactors AB, which is a joint venture between local companies Uniper Sweden and LeadCold. LeadCold is a spin-off company from Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology (abbreviated to KTH in Swedish), while Uniper Sweden is a subsidiary of the Germany-based international energy group Uniper. The two companies and KTH jointly announced in February last year that they would jointly explore the construction of a Swedish-designed demonstrator SMR.
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GIFA identifies nine mining-related sites for third party solar power development

The Gauteng Infrastructure Financing Agency (GIFA) has identified up to 11 sites in the West Rand area, which the Gauteng provincial government has earmarked for renewable energy plant development.

The sites, made available through partnerships with local mining companies, have been confirmed, through feasibility studies, to have the appropriate topography and solar radiance levels that make them “highly suitable” for solar farm clusters, says GIFA project manager Noxolo Mtembu.

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Mantashe says South Africa’s renewables resources can ‘kickstart’ economy

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe says South Africa has natural renewable-energy resources to “generate the much-needed energy to kickstart our economy and put South Africa on a just energy transition trajectory”. In an address to the Solar Power Africa conference on Wednesday, the Minister departed from his characteristic defence of fossil fuels and nuclear to highlight the potency of South Africa’s solar resources.
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Cape Town launches renewable energy tenders to make it SA’s first ‘load-shedding free city’

The City of Cape Town has launched new tenders to procure as much as 300 MW of renewable energy, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said on Wednesday The mayor was speaking at the Solar Power Africa conference hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
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