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Brand new 33 MW Western Cape wind farm connects to grid

The 33 MW Excelsior Wind Energy Facility, in the Western Cape, has been connected to South Africa’s load-shedding-prone national grid, with all 13 of its wind turbines having been successfully commissioned. The facility is believed to be the first Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme Bid Window 4 (BW 4) project in the Western Cape to achieve the milestone. The province has three BW 4 wind farms under construction and nine in total.
September 16, 2020 by

Solarise Africa welcomes third investor backing clean energy projects in Africa

Pan-African energy leasing company Solarise Africa has landed a further $10-million investment to drive Africa’s clean energy expansion.

The company’s Series B investment round welcomed French development finance institution Proparco, alongside existing investors, investment firm Energy Access Ventures (EAV) and electrification financing initiative EDFI ElectriFI.

September 15, 2020 by

Eskom advises of temporary N3 road closure for work on overhead power line

State-owned Eskom has been granted permission from the South African National Roads Agency for the temporary road closure of the N3 north and southbound, just after the N3 De Hoek Toll Plaza, from 10:00 to 13:00 on September 17, to dismantle and remove a decommissioned high-voltage transmission overhead power line crossing the highway.  All three phase conductors will be removed sequentially.
September 15, 2020 by

Renewable energy could be light at end of load-shedding tunnel, says SAWEA

Local wind energy lobby organisation the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) reports that, as South Africa continues to struggle with the crippling effects of prolonged load-shedding, recent indicators point to a “light at the end of the tunnel that is lit by renewable energy”.

As such, the organisation highlights that, within a short week, three key factors happened that will promote renewable energy, going forward.

September 15, 2020 by

DMRE targeting December for initiation of fifth renewables bid window

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has clarified that it is aiming to release bid documentation for the so-called fifth bid window (BW5) of the South Africa’s renewable-energy procurement programme in December, following receipt of the regulator’s concurrence with a Ministerial determination that clears the way for the resumption of procurement. The Section 34 Ministerial determination has not yet been formally published in the Government Gazette, but the DMRE indicated to Engineering News & Mining Weekly on Monday that it intended Gazetting the document “before the end of next week”, having received the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s concurrence on September 2.
September 14, 2020 by

Locally produced hot water innovation reduces household energy costs

Using heat pump systems manufacturer EMS Holdings’ domestic 200 ℓ integrated heat pump system can save households between 60% and 70% of their monthly electricity costs as it uses home-grown efficient technology.

EMS Holdings CEO Franco Diedericks, speaking during this year’s Electra Mining Africa 2020 Connect virtual event – for which Creamer Media’s Engineering News & Mining Weekly is a partner – on the theme of innovation and the status of the South African manufacturing sector, says the technology was developed in-house following the development and large-scale roll-out of large water heating technologies.

September 11, 2020 by

Maynier urges urgent Gazetting of determination for new power projects

The Western Cape government has urged Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to urgently Gazette the final Section 34 Ministerial Determination that would open the way for the procurement of 11 813 MW of new electricity capacity. On Thursday, Mantashe announced that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa had provided its concurrence to a determination, delivered to it in February, that seeks to implement the technology allocations included in the Integrated Resource Plan of 2019 (IRP 2019).
September 11, 2020 by