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NMU, merSETA host solar boat competition to inculcate skills

The Nelson Mandela University (NMU), in collaboration with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA), recently held the inaugural NMU Solar Boat Competition, in Gqeberha. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges and technical high schools participated in the competition. The event exposed learners and students to solar technologies and helped them develop essential skills to design and manufacture a simple solar-powered boat. The goal of the three-hour endurance race was to cover the longest distance in the time limit, with sunlight the only power source allowed for propulsion. The event was also about developing skills and interest in these areas among the youngsters.
March 6, 2023 by

DTIC to act as one-stop shop for streamlining of energy project applications

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has been designated as the “single department” referred to in the recently published State of Disaster (SoD) regulations to coordinate the “streamlining and expediting of applications and decision-making procedures for regulatory processes related to energy generation projects”. The appointment is catered for under Regulation 5(1)(e) and the Presidency’s Rudi Dicks reports that the clause is in line with the National Energy Crisis Committee’s initiative to established a one-stop shop within government specifically to expedite regulatory approvals for electricity projects.
March 3, 2023 by

Nuru receives additional $1.5m for solar PV in the DRC

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC’s) first solar photovoltaic (PV) metrogrid developer Nuru has secured an initial $1.5-million from investors in a convertible note round ahead of the close of its Series B funding round. The investment is a bridge to bolster the company’s $25-million Series B equity fundraise, which will be invested by a consortium of international investors at financial close.
March 3, 2023 by

South Africa says rich nations should fund green hydrogen

Rich nations have an obligation to fund South Africa’s development of green hydrogen as part of a global effort to decarbonise, according to the Presidency’s infrastructure chief. The most industrialized nation on the continent that depends on coal to generate 80% of its electricity has plans to attract as much as $250-billion into green hydrogen, an emerging technology used to split water using renewable energy.
March 3, 2023 by

AEP Energy to showcase mobile solar solution at Africa Energy Indaba

Solar park operator and owner AEP Energy will be advancing its global expansion plans at this year’s Africa Energy Indaba (AEI) by showcasing its unique mobile solar container, the MooV Solar. The MooV Solar container boasts a capacity of between 90 kW and 150 kW, depending on the end-user’s requirements, and is fully mobile, making it a cost-effective and instant solution for a range of industries including disaster response, military use, industrial applications, agricultural production and public power suppliers.
March 3, 2023 by

Downsized M&R seeks salvation in mining and renewables after ‘devastating’ period

Murray & Roberts (M&R) CEO Henry Laas has described the group’s loss of control over RUC Cementation Mining Contractors as a consequence of its Australian holding company, or MRPL, having been placed into voluntary administration as a particularly “tragic” consequence of recent “devastating” developments. MRPL and its subsidiaries together with Clough, previously M&R’s largest business unit by far, entered voluntary administration on December 5 after Clough experienced serious funding pressures as a result of factors such as Covid disruptions and a surge in working capital requirements at two key projects, Traveler and Waitsia.
March 2, 2023 by

South Africa must prioritise decarbonisation, as $1.5bn of exports to EU are at risk

South Africa should prioritise its decarbonisation strategy, as it has a carbon intensity much higher than most countries, and $1.5-billion of exports to the European Union (EU) are at risk in the short term. That figure is likely to increase when more products are covered under the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), said policy development research institution Trade and Industrial Policies Strategies (TIPS).
March 2, 2023 by

Electricity crisis deeply affecting people, businesses; disaster directives need to be …

The electricity shortages in South Africa, which have resulted in continuous loadshedding, are severely affecting people and businesses and, consequently, the economy and employment, specialists from law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) noted during a briefing on March 2. They stressed that any directives issued by ministers during the state of disaster – declared to find solutions to the energy crisis – must be necessary, rational and justified to meet legal requirements.
March 2, 2023 by

Growing African interest in nuclear power signalled by conference this month in Uganda

Calculations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were that, in Africa, some 600-million people and 10-million small businesses lacked a dependable electricity supply. Nor did connection to a national grid guarantee a reliable supply of energy. The World Bank has reported that nearly 80% of the continent’s businesses suffer from power cuts. The continent has a huge need for reliable energy sources. Consequently, Nuclear Business Platform (NBP) MD Zaf Coelho points out, an increasing number of African countries are looking at nuclear power as a source of reliable baseload energy. Hence the second, 2023, iteration of the Africa NBP (AFNBP) conference, which will take place in Kampala, Uganda, from March 14 to March 17. It will be hosted by the Ugandan Ministry of Energy & Mineral Development, and its theme is the “Sustainable Economic Transformation of Africa Through Nuclear Power”.
March 2, 2023 by