Urgent investment in energy storage needed to fully decarbonise South Africa’s electricity sector

As a potential means to transition away from fossil-fuel-based electricity generation methods and towards greater decarbonisation of its energy mix, independent system modeler Clyde Mallinson this week said South Africa needs to build energy storage solutions to bridge the gap between when renewable energy is produced and when it is not to meet daily and peak demand.

Speaking during a webinar on the system benefits of energy storage on October 27, he said South Africa’s peak hourly electricity demand was 34.1 GW, while its average hourly demand was 26.4 GW.

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UK sees no deal coming to eliminate coal at UN climate summit

The United Nations climate talks haven’t even started and host-nation UK is already conceding that a key goal – a deal to end coal burning – is off the table.

“It will be hard to consign coal to history at Glasgow,” Barbara Woodward, the UK’s ambassador to the UN, said in an interview Wednesday, a day before she travels to Scotland for the COP26 climate conference that begins Sunday. “We’ve got to give up coal and some of the plans do not foresee that.”

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City unveils new plans to wean itself from Eskom

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) this week unveiled a new plan to accelerate security of reliable power supply for residents and businesses in the municipality. Headed by executive mayor Mpho Moerane, the CoJ has launched an energy mix Energy Sustainability Strategy for the municipality, through which the city seeks to increase its capacity to cater for its growing developmental needs.
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Gas key as South Africa transitions to clean energy

Gas will be needed to close help meet energy demand in South Africa during the necessary transition to clean energy,  speakers from the energy sector, academics, financial institutions and South African government departments said during a webinar on October 27. They noted, however, that South Africa has not yet put in place the required policies and regulations, trade agreements and infrastructure needed for a just transition.
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Exxaro sending a delegation to COP26

Resources company Exxaro Resources is sending several of its executives and sustainability experts to form part of the South African delegation to participate at the COP26 climate change summit, which is being held in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 to November 12. COP26 convenes global leaders to galvanise efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and for global emissions to be halved by 2030. Companies like Exxaro – which embrace this opportunity, will play a pivotal role in saving the planet and ensuring sustainable livelihoods, the resources company states.
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Global supply chain disruptions, civil unrest take toll on Metair

Metair warns that the second half of its 2021 financial year will continue to be dominated by the impact of Covid-19, as well as the “severe effect” of global supply-chain disruptions and the global shortage of semi-conductors. Metair manufactures, assembles, distributes and retails energy storage products and automotive components in Africa, Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and Russia.
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Renewables developer warns of a grid-induced crisis akin to South Africa’s 2008 generation crisis

Growing constraints on South Africa’s power grid could precipitate a crisis similar to the one experienced in 2008, when it became apparent that the country had run short of generation capacity, the head of a leading domestic renewable-energy company warned on Wednesday. African Clean Energy Developments (ACED) CEO Richard Gordon told participants to a RES4Africa webinar that South Africa was on track for a “repeat performance” by 2028, owing to inadequate transmission capacity in areas where the best solar and wind resources are located.
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Load-shedding to move to Stage 4 from 12:00 on Wednesday

Power utility Eskom has announced that it will implement Stage 4 load-shedding from 12:00 on Wednesday to 05:00 on Friday. Thereafter Stage 2 load-shedding will continue until 05:00 on Saturday.
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SAPVIA releases best practice operations, maintenance guidelines

Industry body South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) and Europe energy market organisation SolarPower Europe have released the ‘Operation & Maintenance (O&M) Best Practice Guidelines for South Africa’.  The guidelines build on SolarPower Europe’s ‘European O&M Best Practice Guidelines’ and adapts key recommendations to the South African context.
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Eskom suggests modular microgrid option to power outlying communities in Africa

Should State power utility Eskom show the way to a cleaner and greener energy future through its 15-year roadmap, group CEO Andre de Ruyter believes it will demonstrate Africa’s ability to leapfrog older technologies and “move straight to the latest technologies”. Eskom, he notes, is responsible for about 25% of Africa’s carbon emissions, making it the largest electricity generator on the continent.
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