Overcoming energy transmission congestion is vital to stabilise energy supply in South Africa and, to ensure that energy supply meets demand, transmission assessments and upgrades need to be conducted to allow for energy access from resource-rich solar and wind areas, states renewable-energy producer Enel Green Power (EGP RSA) country manager William Price. Energy transmission is similar to traffic, as energy can flow both ways, but the location of the transmission grid in relation to the energy supply and source of energy consumption impacts on the energy flow through the transmission line, he explains.
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With a background in electrical engineering, “a knack for business, and a passion for sustainability”, Norwegian global renewables company Scatec Southern Africa GM Jan Fourie has specialised in renewable energy projects for over a decade. He says his love for South Africa and the natural environment is core to his passion for sustainability, noting that his current role at Scatec perfectly encapsulates his three-pronged passions for sustainability, business, and the technical side of large-scale power generation.
The transition to a low or net-zero carbon economy is here. The United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow last November called for rapid action to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. This means substantially reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global temperature increase in this century to not more than 2 °C above preindustrial levels, states strategy consulting organisation EY-Parthenon Africa leader Paul O’Flaherty. O’Flaherty highlights two points. The first is that transitioning to a low-carbon economy will not happen overnight; the second is that the transition must come in the form of a “just transition” – one that secures the future and livelihoods of affected workers and their communities and includes dialogue between workers and their unions, employers, government and communities.
Problems in South Africa’s electricity sector will, sadly, continue to dominate the headlines and undermine growth and confidence in 2022. Despite the fact that the crisis is now deep into its second decade, there is little sign of immediate relief and load-shedding remains a clear and present danger.
Bearings and power transmission supplier Bearings International (BI) is aiming to provide a comprehensive support service for engineering company ABB Africa’s motors this year, which the company now distributes in Southern Africa, says BI business unit leader Stephen Bekker. “We aim to provide comprehensive support for low-voltage ABB motors. This would include covering sales, stock, technical support, application support and spares.”
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter reports that the tender evaluation for Phase 1 of the utility’s battery energy storage systems (BESS) project has been completed and that he expects the final approvals to be in place in February. Speaking during a briefing on the state of the system on Thursday, De Ruyter expressed enthusiasm for the project, which he said would be the first large-scale deployment of grid-tied batteries in South Africa.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) will publish a request for proposals (RFP) for its Integrated Renewable Energy and Resource Efficiency Programme (iREREP) in the first quarter of this year, it said in a statement on January 27. The iREREP will be the largest programme for the procurement of renewable energy and resource efficiency for public facilities.
State-owned electricity group Eskom is warning that its use of the country’s diesel-fuelled open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) is set to remain elevated in the coming months as the utility seeks to avoid load-shedding in a context of rising planned maintenance and the ongoing risk of unplanned breakdowns. Eskom has already spent R5.5-billion for the year-to-date to run its own OCGT plants and a further R3-billion to purchase electricity from the private Avon and Dedisa plants, as the energy availability factor (EAF) from its coal fleet slumped to 62.9% against a target of 70%.
South Africa has made faltering progress toward implementing plans announced more than two years ago to procure additional power needed to swiftly address crippling energy shortages. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy first issued a request for information from potential electricity suppliers in December 2019. A year later it listed 28 interested bidders, and in 2021 it chose the winners of contracts to generate about 2,000 megawatts of capacity under its so-called Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
Sun Exchange, a South African firm that crowd-sources funds for solar panels and leases them to customers, plans to expand to other countries on the continent. The company, backed by a group part-owned by billionaire Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Capital Investments Ltd., raised $1.4 million for a solar panel and battery-storage project at a Zimbabwean fruit and berry producer, in what it says is the biggest crowd-funded project in Africa.
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