Red Star hosts Southern Africa’s first closed-track solar vehicle challenge

The Ilanga Cup is Southern Africa’s first closed-track endurance circuit event, which is focused on promoting innovations in renewable and alternative energy. Darren Parker attended the Ilanga Cup where he saw teams go head-to-head in an endurance challenge.
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California proposing to extend the life of its nuclear power plant

The Governor of the US State of California, Gavin Newsom of the centre-left Democratic Party, has circulated draft legislation among the State’s lawmakers that would extend the life of California’s one-and-only nuclear power plant (NPP), Diablo Canyon. The draft legislation has been shown to various US news media. Originally commissioned in 1985, the two-reactor NPP is currently due to be shut down in 2024-2025, with the first reactor being shut down in late 2024 and the second in August 2025. It currently provides the State with 8.6% of its electricity, but 17% of its zero-carbon electricity.
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Stage 2 load-shedding to continue on Thursday amid more breakdowns

Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented at 16:00 to 24:00 on Wednesday and at the same time on Thursday, Eskom announced. The breakdowns of a generation unit each at Duvha, Kendal and Kriel power stations during the last 24 hours, as well as the delays in returning units to service at Arnot, Kusile and Tutuka power stations have put a severe strain on the power generation system.
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Tiger Brands moves to buy first 2 MW of solar from IPPs as part of big renewables ramp-up

Food and beverage manufacturer Tiger Brands is moving to procure 2 MW of solar across four manufacturing sites as part of a broader initiative to introduce renewable energy across 35 sites by 2030 to meet 65% of its electricity requirements. The initial capacity will be procured from independent power producers, or IPPs, which will supply the electricity under long-term power purchase agreements to Henneman Mill, in the Free State, King Foods, in the North West, as well as Tiger Brands’ beverages and home and personal care manufacturing plants in Gauteng.
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Opinion: A bird’s eye view of the future of SA’s energy landscape post COP 26

In this article, attorneys Vaughn Harrison and Lucrecia Sadhaseevan write about South Africa’s energy landscape post COP 26, as well as the documents and processes that frame South Africa’s just energy transition process.
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Growthpoint invests R50m in solar-charged battery system for the Paarl Mall

JSE-listed real estate investment trust Growthpoint Properties is piloting a 4.5 MW battery system at Paarl Mall, in the Western Cape, for continuous, cost-efficient power supply, which will be partly charged by Paarl Mall’s new rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) plant. The R50-million system will extend the positive impacts of renewable, sun-powered energy around the clock, the company says.
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Biggest South African city seeks power supply from private firms

Johannesburg’s municipality intends buying 500 megawatts of electricity from independent producers to help avert ongoing power outages in South Africa’s biggest city. A request for proposals is awaiting approval from the National Treasury and should be issued within weeks, Mpho Phalatse, Johannesburg’s mayor, said in an interview at Bloomberg’s Johannesburg offices on Monday.
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Stage 2 load-shedding for Tuesday evening

Eskom has announced that Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 16:00 to midnight on Tuesday evening. “There is also a high probability that load-shedding will require to be implemented during the same time on both Wednesday and Thursday evenings,” the power utility said. “The breakdowns of a single generation unit at Arnot Power Station and three at Tutuka Power Station during the last 24 hours, as well as the delays in returning units to service at Arnot, Kusile and Tutuka power stations have put a severe strain on the power generation system.” Currently, 4 550MW is out on planned maintenance, while another 14 182MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.
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Commission unpacks the ‘integrated systems’ approach taken with Just Transition Framework

As Cabinet is busy approving the Just Transition Framework for publication, the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) has unpacked a key part of what the framework will be premised on – Climate Resilience Development Pathways (CRDPs). PCC commissioner Makoma Lekalakala says South Africa’s Just Transition can only be realised if CRDPs are at its core, while PCC secretariat Crispian Olver states the CRDP approach is vital for implementing the Just Transition Framework.
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Electric motors minimum energy performance standards to reduce energy use – SANEDI

The adoption of new minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for electric motors in South Africa will provide significant energy savings, improve operational competitiveness and alleviate pressure on the country’s electricity supply crisis, says energy research institution South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). South Africa’s industrial sector is dominated by motors that fall under the lowest class of international efficiency standards (IE1).
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