Europe’s Green Deal is not just a vision or idea, but a well-funded policy that is being implemented, and that is set to have a wide-ranging impact on South African exports, says Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) executive chairperson Dr Johan van Zyl. Van Zyl stepped down as Toyota Motors Europe president and CEO earlier this year.
The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) has published a study on residential energy use, which suggests that, by improving energy efficiency in this sector, it can reduce evening peak demand.
During peak periods, the residential sector accounts for up to 35% of national electricity demand in South Africa, while, globally, the residential sector consumes one-fifth of the world’s energy.
A study by global environmental consultancy Ricardo and Environmental Defense Fund for the P4G Getting to Zero Coalition Partnership has found that South Africa “holds an untapped opportunity” to supply the global shipping industry with zero-carbon fuels. The production of green hydrogen-derived fuels can help to meet decarbonisation targets and act as a catalyst for the country’s economy, thereby opening new export markets and supporting an equitable transition, while also creating the jobs of the future.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has refused to provide Karpowership SA with environmental authorisation for its three powership-based gas-to-power projects, proposed for development at the ports of Richards Bay, Ngqura and Saldanha Bay. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) applications were submitted in October 2020 ahead of the closing date for bidding under the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP).
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has declined three environmental authorisation applications submitted by Karpowership for the development of gas-to-power projects.
The applicant proposed to locate the three powerships at the Ports of Richards Bay, Ngqura and Saldanha to supply power to the national grid from natural gas.
Africa can further the pursuit of global nuclear nonproliferation, but competing interests and objectives are hampering efforts to drive this goal on the international stage. University of South Africa department of political science professor Jo-Ansie van Wyk noted during a June 23 webinar that large nuclear-armed countries, like the US and Russia, have decreased their arsenal of nuclear weapons, but continue to modernise their arsenals.
The South Africa power sector is undergoing a major shift towards decentralised power projects as a “massive energy crisis” grips the country, says Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) infrastructure, energy and telecommunications head Mike Peo.
Speaking during an Infrastructure Africa panel discussion on decentralised power, on June 23, he said the topic “is extremely pertinent” as the energy sector is increasingly shifting away from the “old-fashioned way of provisional large utility-scale power”.
Clean energy asset developer, manager and owner Decentral Energy has inked a R115-million loan agreement with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to develop and expand its pipeline of solar assets. Decentral is a South African renewable energy investor that is mandated to invest in small-scale clean energy assets installed on commercial and industrial sites.
Energy engineering company SEM Solutions has completed the installation of a 393 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof of the Neelsie Student Centre at Stellenbosch University (SU). The power generated by the PV modules provides a third of the energy requirements of the student centre, says SU environmental sustainability manager John de Wet.
The cost of electricity from new solar and wind plants is increasingly undercutting the operating costs alone of existing coal‑fired power plants and strengthening the case for their early retirement, a newly released International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) report confirms. Published on June 22, the ‘Renewable Power Generation Costs 2020’ report states that over 800 GW of existing coal capacity already costs more than new solar photovoltaic (PV) or onshore wind projects commissioned in 2021.
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