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Blue Energy signs 20-year green power deal with wheel manufacturer

Local developer and operator of clean energy infrastructure, Blue Energy Africa, has signed a 20-year deal with Borbet South Africa (SA) for the procurement of power from renewable-energy sources. Founded in 1962 by Peter Wilhelm Borbet, the family-owned company has five locations in Germany, as well as one each in Austria and South Africa, with the latter in Gqeberha.
April 24, 2024 by

Gauteng govt rolls out 6.3 MWh of solar power at 27 healthcare facilities

The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has installed and commissioned a combined equivalent of six independent microgrid power plants through the installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage at 27 prioritised health institutions across the province. The total combined capacity of these solar installations amounts to 6.3 MWh, while the combined battery storage component adds up to a total of 15.6 MWh. These have been installed at 11 public hospitals, nine primary health care clinics, and eight community healthcare centres throughout the province. A twenty-eighth facility will be integrated next month.
April 23, 2024 by

IEA expects another record year for EVs in 2024, but sales remain concentrated

The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects electric vehicle (EV) sales to rise to a record 17-million in 2024, representing more than one in every five passenger cars sold, but with sales likely to remain highly concentrated in the Chinese, European and US markets. Sales rose by 35% last year to a record level of nearly 14-million units, lifting the number of EVs on the road globally to 40-million, and with battery electric cars accounting for 70% of the electric car stock.
April 23, 2024 by

Zambia seeks power imports for key mining sector

Zambia’s State-owned electricity utility Zesco said on Monday it is seeking to import power to avert an energy deficit that could affect output in Africa’s second-largest copper producer. The southern African country generates 86% of its electricity from hydropower stations. Power generation has been hit by a severe drought induced by El Nino – a weather phenomenon resulting from the abnormal warming of the waters in the eastern Pacific, which raises temperatures globally.
April 23, 2024 by

Nelson Mandela University-led consortium to develop green hydrogen feasibility study

A consortium led by Nelson Mandela University and boutique consultancy firm Ikigai Group has won a UK Government grant under the South Africa-UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (Pact) programme to deliver an innovative feasibility study to explore the viability of green hydrogen production and export infrastructure from the Eastern Cape to global markets, including the UK, Europe and Japan. The consortium will be working with the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) in support of South Africa’s wider development and just energy transition plans.
April 22, 2024 by

Ramokgopa describes IPP surpluses as low-hanging fruit amid delay in finding contractual solution

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa describes surplus electricity arising from existing renewable energy facilities as “low hanging fruit” in improving the supply-demand balance and reports that discussions are under way to assess ways to make this energy available to the grid. Speaking during a regular update on the Energy Action Plan, Ramokgopa confirmed that the issue, which had been under consideration for years, had again been raised with him by the leadership of Scatec during his recent visit to the group’s Kenhardt solar-battery facility in the Northern Cape.
April 22, 2024 by