The relatively low value of carbon tax in South Africa, and numerous allowances that government made available in year one of the Carbon Tax Act’s implementation, which took effect in June 2019, have resulted in there being little incentive currently for solar energy, technology company EDS Systems business development head Eckart Zollner tells Engineering News. The carbon tax initially applies only to scope 1 emitters in the first phase of the carbon tax roll-out, from June 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022. Scope 1 emitters are those who are responsible for direct emissions from an owned or controlled source – such as those produced by burning fossil fuels. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions that have resulted from the generation of purchased energy and these will be taxed in the second phase of the roll-out, from 2023 to 2030.
Containerised off-grid solar systems manufacturer SustainSolar was contracted by minigrid developer OnePower Lesotho to deliver the first batch of seven modular, turnkey and rapid-deployment Sustain Compact solar power solutions to Lesotho early this year. “The Sustain Compact solar power solution – which is a plug-and-play solution – significantly reduces the operational complexity of sourcing and installing the power generation unit. This leaves the project developer with more time to focus on the distribution and metering infrastructure and serving customers earlier than usual,” SustainSolar MD Tobias Hobbach tells Engineering News.
Engineering solutions provider BMG’s electromechanical specialists have extended its solutions service to include solar inverters and drives, which are designed to enhance the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) systems. “PV modules – which use daylight to generate electricity – are gaining popularity globally as a form of renewable energy that is clean, emission-free, sustainable, safe and cost efficient. Through the use of environment-friendly PV technology to generate electrical power, companies in South Africa are finding effective solutions to combat the country’s grave electricity crisis,” claims BMG electromechanical division electronics manager Mick Baugh.
The sale of South African coal to China has highlighted the global demand uptick for coal, Mining Weekly can today report. But one top trader dismissed it as an irrelevant rearrangement of the deckchairs of the seaborne coal market.
A farmer from Ceres Valley has took it upon himself to build a solar plant on his Vadersgawe fruit farm, with excess power to be shared with the Witzenburg municipality.
The 90 ha operation, called El Cuesta Farming, is renowned for its juicy apples, pears and nectarines, which are exported to the UK and other European countries.
Siemens South Africa CEO Sabine Dall’Omo expresses optimism that the country’s much promised infrastructure-led recovery will finally be implemented from late 2021 onwards, describing preparations for the roll-out as impressive. However, she warns that unless the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control and the mass vaccination campaign expertly implemented, the year will not be the pivotal one required for placing the economy on a new growth path. Dall’Omo acknowledges that South Africa’s depressed infrastructure market “can only get better”, but says the work already done to prepare projects for implementation, as well as the central role given to infrastructure in the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan should eventually ease pressure on infrastructure-linked enterprises, several of which are either in business rescue or have closed.
State-owned power utility Eskom has advised that Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from midday on January 14 through to the end of January 17. Eskom says the load-shedding is necessary owing two tripped generation units at the Kusile power station, as a result of failure of the main coal feed conveyor belts supplying coal to the units.
State-owned power utility Eskom has advised that Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from midday on January 14 through to the end of January 17. Eskom says the load-shedding is necessary owing two tripped generation units at the Kusile power station, as a result of failure of the main coal feed conveyor belts supplying coal to the units.
Total and Engie plan to build France’s largest green hydrogen facility to feed the oil company’s biodiesel plant in the south of the country from 2024, provided they get subsidies to make the project viable. Steelmakers and gasoline and biofuel producers currently make the hydrogen they need from fossil fuels, emitting significant amounts of greenhouse gases in the process. Engie and Total’s project could be part of a first wave of hydrogen production facilities fueled by renewable power as Europe plans to reach net-zero emissions by the middle of the century.
Matshela Koko, the former head of generation at Eskom, told the state capture commission of inquiry that there was nothing wrong with a controversial R1.68 billion pre-payment which the power utility made to Gupta-owned Tegeta Exploration and Resources after the company clinched a coal supply deal in 2015. “I would testify here that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the transaction of the R1.68 billion pre-payment. In fact, it was the only alternative available to Eskom,” Koko said on Tuesday, without explaining the importance of the payment.
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