Zirk Botha prepares for 7 000 km solo transatlantic row

Capetonian Zirk Botha – a former naval combat officer and adventure racer – is preparing final arrangements to depart from Cape Town on a 7 000 km-long solo rowing trip on his boat Ratel across the Atlantic ocean, to Rio de Janeiro.

Sponsored by the company he works for – juwi Renewable Energies – Botha plans to depart from Granger Bay at on December 1, following which he will row for about 100 days unassisted. His boat’s electrical equipment will run solely from solar panels and batteries.

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Nersa sets Feb 5 deadline for written comment on proposed nuclear determination

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has given stakeholders until February 5 to comment on a Section 34 determination received from Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe for the procurement of new nuclear capacity post-2030. The draft determination delivered to Nersa by the Minister for its concurrence states that the commencement of the procurement of 2 500 MW of nuclear capacity is in line with “Decision 8 of the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP2019)”, gazetted on October 18, 2019.
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Enel, Novartis sign ten-year renewable energy deal

Enel Group renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power and medicines company Novartis have signed a ten-year, 100% renewable virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for 78 MW of renewable power.

This pan-European VPPA will start in January 2022 and will help Novartis achieve its goals for 100% renewable electricity and carbon-neutrality across its European operations by 2025.

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Emira continues investment in renewable energy

JSE-listed real estate investment trust (Reit) Emira Property Fund has been increasing its use of renewable energy since the 2015 installation of a 271 kW solar plant on the roof of its Epsom Downs Shopping Centre, in Bryanston.

Since then the company has been continuing the rollout of solutions that mitigate environmental and economic risks, both for itself and for its tenants’ businesses.

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Repurposing of Eskom power stations key in SA’s just transition

  Creamer Media’s Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Creamer Media Editor Terence Creamer about plans by Eskom to repurpose and repower three coal-fired power stations that are due for decommissioning, why it is important for creating a just transition framework and the need for South Africa to determine a common just energy transition vision.  
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Partnership improves dry-type transformers access in Africa

Access to dry-type transformer technology has been boosted throughout Africa, following the partnership of South African transformer supplier Trafo Power Solutions with Italian transformer manufacturer TMC Transformers at the end of 2018. “The business prospects for TMC in Africa are quite good and we note that there are many different signals or business indexes that have shown a plan for investment. In many of these business sectors, there is a demand for specialised dry-type transformer technology suitable for different ambient conditions and capable of high performances,” says TMC Transformers business development manager Robert Deri.
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Joint agenda for energy events

Private sector participation in the energy sector, small-scale hydro and minigrid opportunities, desalination as an option to secure water security and helping sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises with a toolkit are just some of the highlights of the digital African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa agenda. The programme forms part of the upcoming Digital Energy Festival for Africa which unites African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa, Africa Energy Forum and the Oil & Gas Council’s Africa Assembly under one banner – offering an unprecedented five-week tour de force of quality content and engagement on Africa’s largest, all-encompassing digital energy platform. 
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New launch expands LED lighting options

Light manufacturer BEKA Schréder recently announced the launch of the Omnistar Micro and Mini. Together with the Midi and Maxi, the Omnistar family is now complete. 
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Africa’s ‘staggering’ hydropower potential discussed at event

Hydropower plays a key role in all of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB’s) High Five priority areas that are intended to support the continent’s achievement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. This is according to AfDB power systems development director Batchi Baldeh, who took part in a live discussion presented by the Africa Energy Forum on ‘Overcoming Development and Environmental challenges to unlock Hydropower’s Potential in Africa’, which together with African Utility Week & POWERGEN Africa, forms part of the current Digital Energy Festival for Africa.
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Wind turbine prototype gives impressive results

Energy solutions company GE Renewable Energy – which will be exhibiting at African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa 2020 – announced last month that its Haliade-X prototype, the world’s most powerful wind turbine operating to date, has been optimised and is now operating at a 13 MW power output. The prototype will undergo a series of tests to perform different types of measurements and obtain its type certificate in the coming months.
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