Downtime can be costly for any business, especially for growing ones that need to be operational around the clock. Power management company Eaton’s uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems are renowned for reliability, with a proven track record of providing UPS to critical systems. With Eaton UPS systems, businesses can be confident that their systems will remain up and running even during power outages.
Leading renewable energy company Mainstream and its consortium Ikamva will be advancing six solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in South Africa – with a combined capacity of 450 MW. This has been secured in Round 5 of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) towards financial close now that key implementation and 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) are in place.
While Western Cape drone developer FlyH2 Aerospace is making headway with the development of its long endurance, remotely piloted aircraft system hydrogen-electric aircraft, the Dragonfly V, it is establishing a new division, FlyH2 Energy, to develop fuel cells and water electrolysers for small-scale, green hydrogen production to power aircraft. The company hopes to collaborate with local institutions and companies to develop green hydrogen electrolysers and ground refuelling stations, says FlyH2 cofounder and lead designer Mark van Wyk.
The battery commodities market is experiencing a golden age of growth and development, spurred by rapid technological advances and the growing demand for batteries to support cleaner mobility and the roll-out of variable renewables generators. Global battery demand is forecast to grow by some 1 615 GWh, or 384.5%, over the next eight years, according to statistics aggregator Statista. This anticipated upsurge in demand for lithium-ion and other batteries is largely attributed to the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), which are expected to progressively replace internal combustion engine passenger cars.
The development of a green hydrogen economy will impact positively on South Africa’s labour landscape as the country continues to adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) while, consequently, certain jobs will become redundant, says recruitment agency Oxyon People Solutions MD Viren Sookhun. Although job losses are a reality when repetitive tasks are automated through digital transformation, Sookhun forecasts that the jobs created through the growth and development of the local renewable-energy sector, including green hydrogen, will surpass 4IR job losses, cancelling out the impact on employment locally.
Derisking and understanding the technology, its requirements and cost benefits are critical factors that need to be considered when reviewing the financial feasibility of, and support for, the green hydrogen value chain, says South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) renewables and cleaner fossil fuel manager Dr Karen Surridge. “Significant financial backing is required when entering any new sector, especially one as complex as the green hydrogen space, which will require substantial capital investment.”
Stage 6 loadshedding will remain in force until further notice, Eskom said late on Thursday. “The extension of loadshedding is caused by further breakdowns of generation units and continued shortage of generation capacity due to delays in returning to service some generation units,” the power utility said.
Nedbank Group has increased its green finance pipeline to more than R10-billion as more South African businesses invest in private power generation after the government lifted restrictions to help resolve the country’s energy crisis. “There are very strong pipelines currently in our business and across the country for private sector generation – that is a very large growth sector in an otherwise challenging growth environment,” Nedbank Chief Executive Officer Mike Brown said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in Johannesburg. “It is going to take probably two to three years before that connects to the grid and fixes the problem.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled a new investment target of R2-trillion for the five-year period to 2028 at the fifth edition of the South African Investment Conference on Thursday, where he also received new pledges from domestic and international investors that enabled him to confirm that the R1.2-trillion target set in 2018 had been exceeded. The event took place in a context of ongoing power cuts, which the President acknowledged were weakening confidence, tainting international perceptions about South Africa and undermining investment sentiment and decisions.
The biggest labour union at South Africa’s Eskom Holdings wants a 15% wage increase even as the utility fails to generate adequate electricity to meet the country’s needs, resulting in nationwide power cuts. The National Union of Mineworkers wants the same raise for all workers along with other increases in allowances for housing and other benefits, it said in a copy of the letter to Eskom seen by Bloomberg.
INDUSTRY NEWS
- DMRE to push for Cabinet approval of new-look IRP by end-March despite big revisionsNovember 26, 2024 - 6:04 pm
- NTCSA appoints EPC suppliers for transmission substationsNovember 25, 2024 - 5:05 pm
- Eskom finalises technical breakthrough enabling it to extend deadline for meter conversionsNovember 25, 2024 - 1:04 pm
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