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Namibia’s audacious plan to become a global green hydrogen hub

Early in May, King Philippe of Belgium was on the edge of the Namib desert to inaugurate a project that aims to help decarbonize European industry, and which might just enable one of Africa’s smallest economies to hit the clean-energy big time. It was a humble start for such grand designs, as Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba hosted the king at an unfinished site near the port of Walvis Bay on the southern Atlantic Ocean, the baking rust-colored dunescape silent except for an occasional truck passing on the new roadway.
June 6, 2024 by

Investment in clean energy to reach $2tr this year, outpacing investment in fossil fuels

Investment in clean energy technologies will climb to $2-trillion this year, almost double the amount spent on fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Two-thirds of the record $3-trillion invested in energy sources in 2024 will be devoted to sectors such as renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear power, grids, storage and efficiency, even as higher financing costs hinder projects, the Paris-based agency said. The remaining $1-trillion will go to coal, gas and oil — a level that’s still too high to conform with global climate goals.
June 6, 2024 by

Eskom confirms conviction of suspect found tampering with infrastructure at Matla

State-owned power utility Eskom reports that one of the two accused suspects in a case involving critical infrastructure tampering has been convicted at the Kriel Magistrate Court and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.

The two suspects were arrested on February 24, 2022, on suspicion of stealing copper bars and installed copper at a substation in Mpumalanga. Eskom used drone surveillance to confirm the crime and suspects involved.

June 5, 2024 by

Green Connection petitions court to ‘force’ Nersa, DMRE to supply Karpowership information

Environmental activist nonprofit organisation the Green Connection has taken the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to court in an effort to “force” them to supply key information regarding the Karpowership deals. Karpowership uses powerships, or floating power plants, that can anchor at ports and provide electricity facing power supply constraints.
June 5, 2024 by

NNR hosts new round of talks with public over Koeberg’s life extension

The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has started with another round of hearings on June 3, owing to concerns about the last consultation process having been insufficient. The regulator conceded that the public required more information, but only after civil society organisations such as Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (Safcei) voiced its dissatisfaction with the overall governance and public participation process for the Koeberg long-term operation (LTO), or lifetime extension.
June 4, 2024 by

Global renewable energy commitments fall short of COP28 targets

Although Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are key to decarbonisation, current NDCs only amount to 1 300 GW, or 12%, of the renewable energy capacity needed to meet the objective of tripling renewable energy as set at the COP28 conference.

At COP28, nearly 200 countries pledged to triple the world’s renewable power capacity this decade, which is one of the critical actions to keep alive hopes of limiting global warming to 1.5 ˚C.

June 4, 2024 by

V&A Waterfront pilots ‘aesthetically pleasing’ small-scale wind turbines

Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront is pioneering the integration of small, low-noise vertical-axis wind turbines into its green electricity supply mix, following the installation of four 1-kW units within the mixed-use property’s Silo District and another 3-kW turbine near to the complex’s Breakwater parking. The LS Double Helix turbines have been sourced from LuvSide, of Germany, which has in parallel established LuvSide South Africa in partnership with Energy Systems Africa to pursue new market opportunities for its vertical- and horizontal-axis solutions.
June 3, 2024 by