With this year’s Enlit Africa event themed ‘The Multi-dimensional, multi-sectoral energy transition’, Enlit Africa content head Claire Volkwyn says this was the natural progression following last year’s theme of collaboration.
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The upcoming Enlit Africa conference and expo will address the challenges of access to energy in Africa. The conference will be held over three days on May 16 to 18.
The keynote session on day two of the conference will focus on Africa’s energy transition and the importance of ensuring that energy access is at the core of that shift.
Equipped with solar panels that power various farming equipment, automation company Iritron’s off-grid solar trailers are especially useful for small-scale farmers who do not have access to grid power at all times. “Solar trailers are a game-changer for small farmers. They provide a reliable source of power that farmers can use to irrigate their crops, run their borehole pumps and power other equipment such as incubators,” says Iritron divisional manager Gerhard Greeff.
Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso has defended the organisation’s decision to respond to a request by former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter to fund a private investigation into crime and corruption at the State-owned utility and has also confirmed that BLSA provided R18-million to support the initiative. However, she insists that BLSA had no role in the appointment of George Fivaz Forensic & Risk, nor in vetting the lead investigator Tony Oosthuizen, who has been identified in media reports as having been an apartheid military intelligence operative who allegedly claims to have killed 20 anti-apartheid activist.
Productive Use of Energy (PUE) applications powered by solar panels pose a massive opportunity for small businesses on the continent, particularly in the agricultural space, to increase revenue and achieve lower operational costs.
The Africa Solar Industry Association (Afsia) on May 4 published its ‘Productive Use Catalogue’, which unpacks the definition of PUE, as many stakeholders have varying definitions; its different applications; how beneficial it has been for many companies and end-users; and what could be expected in the near future.
Gold mining company Gold Fields has revealed that is investigating the feasibility of installing additional solar and wind power at its South Deep gold mine, in South Africa. Interim CEO Martin Preece said on May 4 during the company’s first-quarter operational update that an additional 10 000 solar photovoltaic panels were planned for installation at the mine this year. However, he said the mine was reaching a limit in terms of how much solar could help before batteries had to be installed.
Business Unity South Africa (Busa) CEO Cas Coovadia on Thursday stressed the organisation’s support for the establishment of National Health Insurance, but only if there is collaboration between the private and public sectors. Speaking on Day 1 of the second Presidential Health Compact Summit, Coovadia said the partnership was important to coordinate healthcare delivery to South Africans.
Sustainable energy organisation the Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa Foundation (RES4Africa) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Pretoria to share knowledge, build networks and cooperate on capacity-building initiatives, studies and dissemination of events of mutual interest. The agreement focuses on sharing expertise, capacity-building and coordinated efforts to support the country’s energy transition. The ultimate goal of the partnership is to drive sustainable development for resilient economies in South Africa, RES4Africa says.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a gazette indicating a key section in law – which will allow the long-awaited Integrated Energy Plan to be developed – will come into effect. This comes after civil society groups lodged a legal application to compel him to do so. Earlier this year, environmental justice group The Green Connection and the South African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute filed an application calling for the Ramaphosa to bring into operation section 6 of the National Energy Act. This section allows for the development of an Integrated Energy Plan, to be overseen by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe. The IEP is the country’s overarching energy plan, from which others, like the Integrated Resources Plan, should follow. It guides proposed energy projects and deals with the security of supply, the use of economically available energy sources, and the universal accessibility of free basic electricity, among other things.
Environmental organisations the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (Safcei) and The Green Connection (TGC) say they have been vindicated to some extent, after struggling for more than two years to get Section 6 of the National Energy Act (NEA) into operation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on April 28 gazetted the decision to bring Section 6 of the NEA into operation, effective April 1, 2024, following legal proceedings launched by the environmental organisations in January to review government’s failure or refusal to bring Section 6 into operation.
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