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South Africa submits new climate plan to win $8.5bn for coal switch

South Africa has submitted to some of the world’s richest nations a revised plan for how it will spend a proposed $8.5-billion to help it transition away from coal, two people familiar with the situation said. The new draft — sent to funding partners the UK, US, France, Germany and the European Union — advances a process that’s been mired for almost a year in complex negotiations. The people, who asked not to be named because talks are ongoing, declined to give any detail on what the amendments involve.
October 5, 2022 by

Cars.co.za buys into Sun Exchange Karoo off-grid solar project

Global solar leasing platform, Sun Exchange, has announced that South African automotive platform Cars.co.za has bought into a project that provides off-grid solar power, plus battery storage, to the Karoo Fresh commercial farm. By using the Sun Exchange platform to buy more than 16 000 solar cells, valued at more than R2.5-million, Cars.co.za says it hopes to leverage its balance sheet to drive sustainable energy, while also creating an alternative income stream for its business over the 20-year lifespan of the solar project.
October 5, 2022 by

Africa needs to use all its energy sources to develop, says AU Commissioner

Africa must make use of all its energy resources, as it needs to achieve development. So affirmed African Union (AU) Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Amani Abou-Zeid in her keynote address to the Africa Oil Week conference in Cape Town. She highlighted that some 50% of African people still had no access to modern energy. Moreover, for the first time, the process of connecting Africans to modern energy had slowed down. “Africa will have to utilise all forms of its energy sources to meet all its needs,” she said. “Now is not the time to be picking and choosing.”
October 5, 2022 by

Kenya’s Ruto breaks ranks, says Africa must leapfrog fossil fuel

Kenya’s President William Ruto, who took office last month, urged Africa to embrace renewable energy, breaking ranks with continental peers that are pressing ahead with plans to develop natural gas resources. In order to boost energy generation from renewable sources and to adapt to a warming climate, Africa will need funding and technology from the rich world, Ruto said in an opinion piece in the UK’s Guardian newspaper on Tuesday. Unlike many African countries, Kenya already derives 92% of its energy from renewable sources and aims to increase that to 100% by 2030, Ruto said, referring to the country’s geothermal, wind and solar plants.
October 5, 2022 by

SARB says power cuts to weigh on 2022 growth

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) said on Tuesday it estimates that scheduled power cuts implemented by utility Eskom will shave about one percentage point from 2022 economic growth. Electricity outages in Africa’s most industrialised nation have reached record levels this year as Eskom, saddled with unreliable coal-fired power stations, has struggled to meet demand.
October 5, 2022 by

Load-shedding should ease in the next ten days, says De Ruyter

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said power cuts should start easing within the next 10 days when big generation units are expected to come back online.  The state utility ramped up power rationing to 4 000 megawatts from 18:00 Tuesday until further notice due to generation trips at its Kendal and Lethabo plants and has imposed a record 120 days of blackouts so far in 2022.
October 5, 2022 by

Coal revival threatens to push power sector emissions to record

Global carbon emissions from power plants may be headed for a record high this year after summer droughts and heatwaves boosted coal- and natural gas-fired generation.

The jump in fossil fuel use pushed emissions from electricity production up 1.7%, or 133-million tons, in the first eight months of this year, climate think-tank Ember said in a report Wednesday. Most of the increase was in July and August, as fossil generation was unchanged in the first half from a year earlier.

October 5, 2022 by

Zwanani Mathe appointed SANEDI CEO

The board of applied energy research organisation the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) has appointed of Dr Zwanani Titus Mathe as CEO, with effect from October 1. Mathe has 18 years of experience to back a decorated academic record and his appointment will set the organisation in good stead to continue fulfilling its vital mandate, the organisation states.
October 4, 2022 by

Applications open for 2023 Wind Industry Internship Programme

The South Africa Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has announced that the Wind Industry Internship Programme (WIIP) will be running for the second time next year, with applications now open. The WIIP first launched in January, when 15 interns where placed and mentored by SAWEA member organisations for 12 months.   The WIIP internship offers hands-on experience to exceptional South African students who are committed to building a career in renewable wind energy.   The purpose of the WIIP is to provide young professionals who have recently completed a degree – or those undertaking graduate programmes – with the opportunity to gain practical work experience in line with their studies and interests, and to expose them to work that is related to sustainable energy.   SAWEA is encouraging young aspiring professionals to apply for 2023 internships.   FOCUS AREAS
October 4, 2022 by