The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has confirmed another extension to the bid submission deadlines for the current renewables procurement round, as well as the second battery storage bidding round. The deadline for Bid Window Seven (BW7) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) which had already been moved from April 30 to May 30, has been extended to August 15.
The time is right for South Africa and Africa, in general, to invest in IE3 motors, especially with minimum energy requirement standards (MEPS) expected to come into effect by the end of the year, says drive engineering specialist SEW-EURODRIVE electronics business development manager Willem Strydom. He encourages companies to convert to IE3 motors sooner rather than later, noting that there will likely be an uptick in demand for these motors the closer South Africa gets to officially enforcing MEPS.
Ten models among three products of multinational major appliance and consumer electronics manufacturer Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliance Business division have obtained Product Carbon Footprint certification from global climate consultancy Carbon Trust. The certification measures and confirms carbon emissions generated throughout the entire lifecycle of ten models across the refrigerator, air conditioner and washing machine product groups.
The yearly $1.9-trillion being invested currently on clean energy would have to more than double and be more evenly distributed to place the world on track to meet net-zero emissions by 2050, a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report confirms. However, it also stresses that such investments could reduce the operating costs of the global energy system by more than half over the next decade, resulting in greater affordability for consumers.
The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is currently assessing the impact of South Africa’s decision to delay the decommissioning of the Hendrina, Grootvlei and Camden coal-fired power stations on the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which outlines the country’s decarbonisation goals. Eskom confirmed recently that Cabinet and board permission had been granted for the continued operation of the three power stations beyond their original decommissioning dates, owing to the ongoing shortage of supply and delays in adding new generation.
The use of national electricity grids to wheel power from renewable-energy projects to demand centres is growing in Africa and helping to drive greater scale in the building of renewable-energy generation, says private equity investment group African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) investment principal Anyababa Ikem. Strides were being made to increase the ability of renewable-energy players, such as the projects AIIM invests in, to wheel power across infrastructure on the continent, he added during a May 24 briefing held by the company to showcase some of the $900-million worth of investments it had made into renewable-energy projects in Africa, to date.
Growing up surrounded by the towering smokestacks of coal-fired power stations, 22-year-old Siya Mokoena’s life is inextricably linked to the coal industry that dominates his hometown of Emalahleni in South Africa’s eastern province of Mpumalanga. Like many in Emalahleni, generations of Mokoena’s family have worked in the coal sector. His father, a miner, was laid off in March when his mine was shut down.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has extended to June 17 the deadline for comment on Eskom’s application to preserve and reserve grid capacity for independent power producers (IPPs) participating in public procurement processes implemented in line with Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA). The initial deadline was May 25.
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is negotiating with government ministries to establish an office that will manage auctions of transmission projects, a senior official at the state-owned institution said. The bank wants to build on its creation of the Independent Power Producer Office, which it handed over to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, that’s helped to realize utility-scale wind and solar projects, Michael Hillary, the DBSA’s group executive for financing operations, said in an interview.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has emphasised its role in delivering the Desert to Power Initiative, which aims to energise one of the least developed and most marginal parts of the continent. The Sahel region, which is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world, will become a solar energy hub, targeting 11 countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan. Desert to Power seeks to generate 10 GW of solar power by 2030 by …
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