Many local manufacturers still do not have backup power installed, while others lack adequate power solutions to effectively limit the production losses incurred during power outages or load-shedding, says power rental expert Rand-Air, part of the Atlas Copco group. “A lot of companies do not have the right equipment on site to keep their lights on, with some only powering their offices or the critical part of their manufacturing facility to keep certain materials agitated, for example,” explains Rand-Air inland area manager Henry Fourie.
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Generators will always be an option as long as standby power is needed in South Africa, says generator importer and distributor Smith Power Equipment national product and sales specialist Michele Cicognani. While companies are becoming more aware of alternative standby power options, owing to the global call to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, demand for generators is as high as ever in South Africa, he stresses.
Amid load-shedding, and a reliance on diesel-fired, open-cycle gas turbine power stations being economically unviable, South Africa’s efforts to build a green hydrogen economy should be accelerated, says National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) president Mdu Mlaba. Green hydrogen does not produce any greenhouse-gas emissions and is expected to replace natural gas on a large scale in about 15 years’ time as the technology advances and becomes more cost effective.
The export of green hydrogen is an opportunity South Africa should capitalise on, as are a number of other hydrogen opportunities that are available, says hydrogen-focused company Hydrogen Energy Applications (HYENA) CEO Niels Luchters. “Hydrogen and fuel cells provide a reliable energy source, as well as reducing carbon emissions when using green hydrogen.”
South Africa should move forward with pilot projects to enable the green hydrogen economy to grow on a larger scale, says project integrator and technology provider Green Hydrogen Solutions founder and CEO Ebrahim Takolia. “As more renewable energy comes online from Eskom and distributed energy sources, significant surplus renewable energy can be used with dedicated sources of renewable energy to produce hydrogen and its derivatives, and at the same time provide long duration storage, improving the business case for renewable energy.”
Government needs to hasten implementation of policies and execute its investment commitments to enable a local hydrogen economy, says National Society of Black Engineers president Mdu Mlaba. “This is crucial to unlock the green hydrogen economy and the opportunities it presents.”
As South Africa’s energy needs rebound on the back of improved economic activity, it is evident that standby power will be needed for the foreseeable future, as the connection of enough embedded generation and renewable-energy projects to the national grid is taking place too slowly. The grid can also not cope with the additional power supply and, thus, with the last bidding round (Round 5) issued by the Independent Power Producers Office, certain projects were not allowed to proceed, particularly in areas such as the Northern Cape, where most existing solar projects are situated or planned for future development, says Economic Development Solutions (EDS) MD Janine Espin.
Tiger Wheel & Tyre has unveiled the company’s first solar-powered store. The automotive parts and fitment brand’s Fourways store, in Johannesburg, is the first of the family to complete the move to solar power. The system was installed by Easy Power.
Nonprofit organisation Earthlife Africa is requesting increased grassroots-level engagement and popular education on the energy-related Just Transition Framework to ensure ordinary people in South Africa understand the issues relating to climate change and the just transition.
Over the past few weeks, the Presidential Climate Change (PCC) Commission has started to ramp-up its consultation with communities on a framework pathway for a just transition.
Koeberg Alert Alliance (KAA) activist Peter Becker has filed an application in the Cape Town High Court to declare Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s decision to dismiss the applicant from his office as director of the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) unlawful and invalid.
Mantashe in January suspended Becker from the NNR board over allegations of misconduct and conflict of interest, before making a final decision on February 25 to dismiss him from the position.
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