South African start-up raises $1.4m in crowd sale of Zimbabwe solar project

South African energy start-up Sun Exchange raised $1.4-million in a crowd sale of solar cells of a 1.9 MW solar and battery storage facility at Zimbabwe’s Nhimbe Fresh farm, the firm said on Wednesday.

Investors were invited to purchase individual solar cells in the project. In exchange, they will earn a rental income in cryptocurrency from the electricity generated.

Sun Exchange said the crowd sale attracted more than 1 700 individuals buyers.

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Eskom board appoints Advocate Semenya to conduct De Ruyter probe

The board at State-owned electricity utility Eskom confirmed on Thursday that Advocate Ishmael Semenya SC had accepted its request to conduct an independent inquiry into claims of racism and abuse of power levelled against CEO André de Ruyter by suspended chief procurement officer Solly Tshitangano. Tshitangano made his allegations in writing to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts, which subsequently indicated that it intended investigating the matter.
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Sun Exchange completes $1.4m crowdsale for agricultural solar project

Solar energy marketplace Sun Exchange has completed a $1.4-million crowdsale for a 510 kW solar and 1 MWh battery storage project to power the packhouse and cold store facilities of Zimbabwean agriculture company Nhimbe Fresh. The fresh produce grower and exporter will save about $2-million on its solar installation and reduce overall energy costs by about 60%. As the solar power is replacing coal and diesel energy sources, its carbon emissions will be reduced by more than one-million kilograms a year, Sun Exchange said in a March 31 statement.
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Global energy leaders say jobs must be at heart of people-centred energy transition

Employment creation for workers and communities at the highest risk of disruption as a result of the shift to greater climate-resiliency was identified during a gathering of global energy leaders on Wednesday as essential to ensuring that the transition was not only people-centred but also secured popular supported. This “jobs, jobs, jobs” mantra was confirmed by all the participants in a virtual panel discussion convened under the theme of ‘Ensuring a people-centred transitions’, held as part of the larger IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit, hosted jointly by International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Fatih Birol and COP26 president-designate Alok Sharma.
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Kusile Unit 3 achieves commercial operation

State-owned power utility Eskom on March 31 announced that Unit 3 of the Kusile power station, in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, had achieved commercial operation this week. “Bringing the 800 MW unit to commercial status means construction has reached the halfway mark on project,” it said in a statement.
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South Africa requires more than 21 GW of energy storage for least-cost 100% renewables

Energy and marine equipment manufacturer Wärtsilä South Africa on March 31 said the country would need more than 28 GW of flexible assets, including more than 21 GW of energy storage and more than 6.8 GW of flexible gas power capacity, to run on 100% renewable energy at the lowest cost. The capacity needed to balance South Africa’s switch to grids powered by intermittent renewables must come from two key technologies, namely energy storage and flexible gas power capacity, capable of running on future fuels. Future fuels can be produced during periods when renewables produce more electricity than is needed, said Wärtsilä Energy South Africa business development manager Wayne Glossop.
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South Africa’s draft climate pledge offers quicker emission cuts, but seeks steep rise in …

South Africa’s draft updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) unveiled by Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy on March 30, proposes quicker emission cuts, but also outlines the need for a step change in international climate finance to support the country’s transition to a lower-carbon economy. Direct consultations will now be held with stakeholders until the end of May, including with all nine provinces, while written inputs can be submitted to the department up until April 30.
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Cautious optimism in renewables industry as Bid Window 5 opens

Renewable energy developers are cautiously optimistic about the announcements made by the South African government that Bid Window 5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is going ahead, but the documents specifying requirements are still not available, says energy, mining, public and private consultancy Economic Development Solutions (EDS) MD Janine Espin. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy last week said it would hold a virtual bidders conference in April to share the relevant information and qualifying criteria with those interested in participating in Bid Window 5.
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Cautious optimism in renewables industry as Bid Window 5 open

Renewable energy developers are cautiously optimistic about the announcements made by the South African government that Bid Window 5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is going ahead, but the documents specifying requirements are still not available, says energy, mining, public and private consultancy Economic Development Solutions (EDS) MD Janine Espin. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy last week said it would hold a virtual bidders conference in April to share the relevant information and qualifying criteria with those interested in participating in Bid Window 5.
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New independent utility emerges to pursue private-to-private power niche

A new independent power utility has been established in South Africa to sell electricity directly to private and municipal customers rather than to Eskom. Branded Earth & Wire, the company aims to build a large-scale portfolio of renewable-energy assets and enter into power purchase agreements (PPAs) with its own customers.
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