Author Archive for: Engineering News

Wind power was a very appropriate renewable energy technology for South Africa, G7 Renewable Energies CEO Dr Kilian Hagemann told Engineering News, in an exclusive interview at the recent Africa Energy Forum, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. In fact, he noted, a decade ago, there was more wind energy capacity entering the South African market than solar energy capacity. However, since then, the amount of solar energy capacity had greatly increased, creating a more balanced situation. This was because the barriers to entry into the local market were higher for wind than for solar.

The Johannesburg-based Solareff group last week cut the ribbon on its new off-grid, 720 m2 regional office and warehouse in Cape Town. Chief commercial officer DeVilliers Botha says the engineered solar PV and battery energy storage solutions (BESS) group had only two Cape Town employees four years ago, with this number now at 22.

The World Bank has approved a $1.5-billion (R27-billion) development policy loan to support the implementation of ongoing structural reform in South Africa’s energy and transport sectors, as well as the country’s transition toward a low-carbon economy. In a statement, the National Treasury said the loan offered favourable interest rates based on the six-month Secured Overnight Financing Rate, plus 1.49%, as well as flexible repayment terms, with a 16-year maturity and a three-year grace period.

The World Bank Group is considering financing $500-million of South Africa’s participation in a new credit guarantee facility meant to unlock private financing for a massive transmission grid expansion plan, a senior bank official told Reuters. South Africa is courting private investment for an ambitious plan to add 14 500 km of new lines and enhanced transformer capacity over the next decade, at an estimated total cost of $25-billion, as it looks to emerge from a decade of crippling power cuts that have battered the economy.