Solar not to blame for recent Stage 6 loadshedding – SAPVIA

Industry organisation the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has moved to factually dispute Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s recent statement that “nonperforming renewables” were the cause of Stage 6 loadshedding having been implemented late last week. SAPVIA CEO Dr Rethabile Melamu said the Minister’s comments at the weekend misrepresented the role that renewable energy, and in particular solar PV, had to play in the nation’s energy mix.
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Former IPP Office head now sees definite role for private sector in grid development

The former head of South Africa’s Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office, Karen Breytenbach, believes there is a compelling case for the injection of private sector investment to accelerate the roll-out of new electricity grid infrastructure, as has been proposed by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. She cautions, however, that significant consultation is still required to ensure that any institutional and regulatory frameworks developed to support such investment is sensitive to the risk posed by the natural-monopoly character of such infrastructure, as well as the commercial realities of funders and potential investors.  
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TotalEnergies CEO says IMF debt rules hobbling African green energy projects

Renewable energy investments in Africa are being hobbled by insufficient government loan guarantees, as the International Monetary Fund keeps a tight leash on country indebtedness, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne said Wednesday. Pouyanne said currently electricity projects in Africa suffer from “a problem of solvency… you have a risk not to be paid”. “So when a renewable developer wants to develop, and it’s obvious you have huge potential, he will go and see the government and ask for guarantees,” he said.
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Innovative 128 MW solar-wind-battery project achieves financial close

The 128 MW Oya Energy hybrid project, which will combine variable renewables and batteries to produce dispatchable electricity daily between 5:00 and 21:30 for injection into South Africa’s loadshedding-prone grid, reached financial close on Tuesday, February 13. The project was named as a preferred bidder for a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) under South Africa’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP), which was launched as a so-called emergency procurement round in 2020 for some 2 000 MW.
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South Africa’s inaugural Grid Emission Measure highlights coal dependence

South Africa produced its inaugural official gauge of the carbon intensity of its electricity production, confirming its status as one of the world’s top producers per capita of greenhouse gases. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and he Environment this month said that the country’s domestic generation grid emission factor (DGGEF) a measure of the carbon intensity of electricity produced in the country, is 1.013 tons of carbon dioxide or its equivalent per megawatt hour. The department used 2021 data.
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IEA to launch security programme for minerals critical to energy sector

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is launching a programmeme to secure the supply of minerals critical to energy security, as demand rises fast while manufacturing remains in the hands of a few key producers, its executive director said on Tuesday. Fatih Birol said the production of electric cars, solar panels and other energy equipment requires a steady supply of minerals such as lithium, cobalt and copper.
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Hino to double solar energy output at its Durban plant

Hino South Africa (SA) will this year double the energy output from the solar roof panel project at its truck assembly plant in Durban, says VP Anton Falck.  “Currently the roof panels provide 600 kWp. A further 800 kWp will be added by the middle of the year as a further 6 600 m2 of roofing is covered with solar panels. 
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IRP deadline extension an opportunity for more renewables ambition in line with SoNA vision – SAWEA

The recent extension of the deadline for responses to the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023) presents an opportunity to incorporate the vision presented by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) for more renewable energy, the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) asserts. Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe announced a month-long extension to the public comment period to March 23 in a recent speech to the Mining Indaba but without committing to public hearings.
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Households can now apply to sell their excess solar power to the City of Cape Town 

The City of Cape Town is now enabling households to earn cash for the power generated from their solar photovoltaic generation systems.  Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says a first round of applications will close on March 8 for households to earn cash from selling their excess solar power to the city, beyond the existing automatic crediting of municipal bills. 
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Not practical to implement new ‘black box’ tariff rules from 2025, Eskom insists

Eskom says the Electricity Pricing Determination Rules (EPDR) approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) in December cannot be implemented for the 2025/26 financial year as proposed by the regulator, owing to the time it takes to prepare, adjudicate and approve such applications. In addition, the utility has questioned whether the rules are implementable at all given how far they deviate from established standards used globally for determining electricity tariffs. Following a period of public consultation, Nersa approved the EPDR late last year. These tariffs are applicable for all licensees providing electricity to customers.
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