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Sasol’s new-look strategy will seek to ‘reset’ group for low-carbon world

Embattled chemicals and energy group Sasol aims to officially unveil its new-look strategy, dubbed Future Sasol, later this year. It has already indicated, however, that the plan will seek to reposition the 70-year-old company, built around a highly carbon-intensive technology that converts coal to fuels and chemicals, for a far more carbon-constrained world. CEO Fleetwood Grobler tells Engineering News that the strategy will be officially released in November.
August 17, 2020 by

Power system severely constrained for this week ahead as return of generation units delayed, …

Embattled State-owned power utility Eskom has warned that the power system will be severely constrained for the week ahead as the return to service of generation units has been delayed. “Eskom wishes to inform the public that the power system will be severely constrained this coming week due to the unavailability of eight generation units due to breakdowns or delays in the maintenance programme,” Eskom said in a statement late on Sunday afternoon.
August 17, 2020 by

SAPVIA shares solar installation tips

While State-owned power utility Eskom and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa continue their legal battles and with another tariff hike looming in April 2021, households and businesses might well be asking what this means for them, says the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association.

Coupled with the sporadic implementation of load-shedding, many people and businesses are starting to consider solar photovoltaic (PV) installations.

August 14, 2020 by

Report reveals minigrid benefits for Africa

Minigrid electricity developer industry association, the Africa Minigrids Developers Association (Amda), on August 13 launched its ‘Benchmarking Africa’s Minigrids’ report, which finds that minigrids outperform utilities in terms of affordability, with average installed costs of $733 a connection.

The report measures industry performance through a comprehensive collection of data across 12 countries and 28 companies.

August 14, 2020 by

Opinion: Unpacking pertinent questions related to municipalities procuring power from IPPs

In this opinion piece, South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) CEO Ntombifuthu Ntuli writes about questions that need to be addressed as the regulatory environment becomes more conducive for municipalities to procure power directly from independent power producers (IPPs). Draft amendments to the Electricity Regulations Act on New Generation Capacity were published by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe for public comment, in May this year.  In broad strokes, the amendments will pave the way for municipalities, with good financial standing, to be able to either develop or obtain their own power-generation capacity from IPPs.
August 14, 2020 by

Stage 2 load-shedding to continue, Eskom says

Despite successfully returning four generation units to service, Eskom on Thursday has said this will not stave off load-shedding and has announced that it will continue to implement Stage 2 load-shedding until 10pm on Thursday and between 8am and 10pm on Friday. “This load-shedding has been caused by an increase in plant breakdowns over the past few days. Staying on Stage 2 load-shedding will also assist us in preserving our emergency generation reserves, namely diesel and water,” the power utility said in a statement.
August 14, 2020 by

Risk of load-shedding could worsen

Creamer Media’s Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Creamer Media Editor Terence Creamer about new analysis published by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research that shows that load-shedding in 2020 has surpassed that of 2019 and, if urgent action is not taken, South Africa is likely to face more power cuts for at least the next two years.
August 14, 2020 by

Rising demand for lithium-ion-powered forklifts anticipated

“The demand for lithium-ion-powered forklifts is increasing locally, owing to companies wanting to reap the benefits of energy efficiency and cost effectiveness, as well as in preparation for changing legislation regarding emissions,” says forklift distributor for Masslift Africa national sales manager Hugh Golden.  “A significant reason for clients moving away from forklifts powered by diesel or liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to lithium-ion-powered forklifts is the latter’s cost-effectiveness in terms of longer life cycles, as the forklifts are maintenance-free,” Golden highlights. 
August 14, 2020 by

The use of recycled plastic used to store electrical energy demonstrated in the US

Researchers in the US have successfully used recycled plastic to create rapidly-charging energy storage devices. The research team is composed of engineering professors and students at the University of California Riverside (UCR), and they have been working on using sustainable resources – ranging from glass bottles to portabella mushrooms – to create improved energy storage materials for some years now. Their latest development involves the ‘upcycling’ of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. PET is widely used in consumer products, most prominently in soft drink (in US parlance, soda) bottles. 
August 13, 2020 by

DMRE calls for engagement over litigation following IPP judgment

The Department of  Mineral Resources and Energy has urged stakeholders in the electricity industry to engage on an ongoing basis to avoid litigation, following a court ruling this week referring a dispute between the Minister and the City of Cape Town over the procurement  of electricity from independent power producers back to the parties to seek a settlement. The City of Cape Town has, since 2015, been in dispute with the national government and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa regarding its right to contract directly with IPPs, after it failed to receive a response from the Energy Minister to its request for a Ministerial determination under Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act to enable it to do so.
August 13, 2020 by