Woodlands Dairy implements renewables, energy efficiency projects in Humansdorp

Dairy producer Woodlands Dairy has implemented several renewable energy resource projects at its large facility in Humansdorp aimed at replacing fossil fuels and reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. The first step in a multi-phase solar initiative was completed in 2021, which consisted of 1 922 JA Solar photovoltaic modules and ten SolarEdge inverters and optimiser combinations, capable of generating 828 kW. The installed solar capacity is anticipated to provide 1.5 GWh/y of power, reducing the facility’s carbon emissions by 588 t, equivalent to planting 17 558 trees each year.
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DPWI to start expropriating servitudes in Limpopo for Eskom’s transmission lines

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille has been requested by State-own utility Eskom to expropriate servitudes, in terms of existing legislation, for electricity transmission lines on its behalf to allow it to supply more power to areas in Limpopo than what is currently possible. According to De Lille, all the affected owners were served with the application and given the opportunity to comment thereon.
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Just energy transition good for South Africa but coal sector has to be involved

A Just Energy Transition (JET) was in the interests of South Africa, the World Bank has concluded. So reported World Bank senior energy economist Mariano Salto in a panel discussion at the Southern African Coal Conference, in Cape Town, on Friday. Renewable energy was the least-cost energy option for the country. But as wind and solar power were variable, other technologies were needed to cover this variability. South Africa had these technologies. Further, these options when implemented on scale would reduce the demand, and so strain, on Eskom’s power stations, allowing the utility to undertake long-postponed maintenance. Moreover, having a large number of small power stations would reduce generation risk; should a large Eskom power station suffer a failure, the result was loadshedding, but should a solar array at a renewable power station fail, no one would notice.
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South Africa says finalizing climate plan as Mminele quits

South Africa is finalizing an implementation plan for an $8.5-billion climate finance deal with some of the world’s richest countries even as the head of the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team quit, a government spokesman said. An offer to extend the contract of Daniel Mminele, the head of the team, for three months “is on the table,” Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa, said by text message late Thursday. Mminele quit after his contract expired as of the end of the year, Business Day reported earlier, adding that it had been expected that he would stay in the post.
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DMRE promises urgency as Koeberg seeks to secure ongoing supply of Westinghouse fuel

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) says it is working with other departments to expedite negotiations on a new nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, following the expiry of a previous agreement, with implications for the supply of nuclear fuel to Eskom’s Koeberg power station. The Nuclear Cooperation Agreement on the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was signed between South Africa and the US in 1995 and came into effect on December 4, 1997, for a period of 25 years. The agreement, thus, lapsed on December 4, 2022.
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Ener-G-Africa opens women-led 15 MW/y small solar panel assembly plant in Cape Town

Energy company Ener-G-Africa (EGA) launched its new 15 MW/y women-led solar panel assembly plant, in Cape Town, on February 2. The $1.5-million, 800 m2 plant is manufacturing solar panels for use with advanced biomass stoves, as well as for the regional African market and overseas exports. “This solar assembly facility was built with a focus on making smaller solar panels to serve low-income households across sub-Saharan Africa. It is a small solar panel plant that has been certified by TÜV Rheinland, which means that some of Africa’s poorest communities will have access to solar with the highest quality certification available,” said EGA CEO André Moolman.
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Farmers seek new deal as loadshedding threatens industry and food security

The impact of loadshedding on the agriculture sector is evident at all levels of operation, including logistics and cold chain management, which necessitates urgent responses from farmers and government, lest food security and export sales are put at risk. A report by Nova Economics estimates that agriculture lost about 4.38% of its contribution to gross domestic product in 2018/19 and that the cost of loadshedding for agriculture amounts to R4.01 per kWh in terms of 2020 values.
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New tech predetects leaks

South Africa experiences regular power outages that are often blamed on power generators being shut down owing to boiler tube leaks, but a well-established and proven solution is available from engineered solutions specialist and supplier RTS Africa Technologies – accredited agents and service engineers for Procon Boiler Tube Leak Detection, based in the UK. The well-proven Procon technology offers an effective system that can detect leaks that may occur in boiler tubes – long before they grow to the point where they cause a tube burst that results in the boiler having to be shut down.  
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