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SA wind data website to be operational in September

By
Oliver Gordon
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A look inside a Vestas wind turbine
The wind measurement masts for the South African Wind Energy Project (Sawep) would be erected and start gathering data by July, after which a website publishing the data would be up and running by September, project manager André Otto said on Tuesday.
Otto told Engineering News Online that the environmental-impact assessment (EIA) studies for all ten locations where the masts would be put up have been finalised, and they would be installed and operational by the end of July.
Sawep would set up a website, and once the systems were verified, it would publish the wind measurement data that it captures from the masts, once a month.
This data could be downloaded by all interested parties and potential investors, from the website, free of charge.
Otto said it was important to have the best quality information on that website, so that the questions from industry could be well answered.
Once the system has been up and running for 12 months, which was expected by the third quarter of 2011, Sawep could start compiling a proper atlas. However, people could start using the data in the interim.
When questioned on whether the wind atlas might be considered too late, as many investors were already starting with their own wind measurements and projects, Otto emphasised that the information would be available to all those who could not afford to do tests, and added that large wind projects were only expected in South Africa by 2015.
In addition to the wind atlas project, Sawep was busy with a capacity credits study, as well as establishing standards for equipment and components, as well as standards for measurement equipment and data, and testing and certification of systems.
The capacity credits study was being conducted in conjunction with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Eskom and the Department of Energy (DoE) . Otto explained that it would investigate grid connection and whether or not the existing grid could handle the wind power generated, and whether the system operator could handle it.
Another big focus at Sawep was on training of artisans and technicians, who would have the skills to operate and maintain wind turbines. Engineering, construction and manufacturing skills would need to be developed.
The wind atlas project was funded through R5-million from the DoE, with the Danish embassy in South Africa providing R20-million.
June 15 was global wind day, which Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas celebrated by announcing the establishment of a permanent office in South Africa, to serve the Southern African region.
Vestas has supplied wind turbines to the recently commissioned Electrawinds project in Coega, which would generate power for the stadium in Port Elizabeth during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as for Eskom’s Klipheuwel project in the Western Cape.
Engineering News

Solar Bafana

By
Oliver Gordon
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0
Courtesy of  www.waterLite.co.za

Michael Addinall is something of a solar lighting pioneer in South Africa.

By
Oliver Gordon
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0


Pretoria-based businessman Michael Addinall is something of a solar lighting pioneer in South Africa. Not only are he and his four business partners responsible for the first solar-lit police station in the country, but they have developed a complete, affordable solar lighting system for low-cost housing.

Two years ago Addinall was on the site of a low-cost housing development in the Mogale City municipality, west of Johannesburg, to consult with the city council on the installation of smart metering for water and lights.

Smart metering takes metering to the next level, with advanced features such as power outage notification, real-time measuring, and two-way communication with the local utility for billing purposes.

The group was still there after darkness had fallen, and Addinall was struck by the fact that none of the houses had electricity. Municipality staff at the scene explained that because most of the residents were indigent, the council would not allocate money for infrastructure, and in any case the national power provider Eskom could not supply power to the site.

Addinall entered a nearby house and was horrified to see two children battling to do their homework in dim candlelight, while their mother cooked supper on a paraffin stove. With the progression of technology in the 21st century, he thought, people should not have to struggle so.

“I believe in poverty eradication through education,” he said, “and children can’t study in the dark.”
The power of the sun

 Specifically designed to work around situations where people were not connected to the national grid, the system uses South Africa’s ample supply of sunlight to illuminate a small house of about 50m².

All components, wiring and brackets are supplied in a single package and are guaranteed for one year. Installation is easy and well within the capabilities of the handyman of the house.

The system comprises five lights – four ceiling lights and a reading lamp – plus a mobile phone charger and adapters for popular phone brands.

All units are powered by a solar panel that has an expected life of 25 years and is connected to a controller unit, which in turn feeds to the lights and a rechargeable 6-volt battery.

Batteries which are kinder to the environment, are more robust and have a longer life than the conventional lead acid batteries. This is important for people who are already financially challenged.

Each light contains 22 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) which are far more efficient than even the compact fluorescent lamps that most people use now. LEDs use very little power and efficiently convert electrical energy into light. Because they are made of non-toxic materials, are recyclable and have a long life, LED lights are environment-friendly.

The system will function for up to 15 hours even if there is no sun.

The system, installed, would be approximately US$379 (R3 400 exclusive of vat). Addinall acknowledges that this may be out of reach of poor families and is working to enlist government’s help in making it more accessible.

“Government should be giving this to people at no charge,” said the businessman, adding that light was a basic necessity of life and that the cost of a retrofit system will be recouped in six years, while a new installation, replacing fuel based lighting, will pay for itself in about three years.

“Certain households qualify for 50 free units of electricity a month,” he said, “but that is used up within days. These people then stand in queues to buy R5 or R10 worth of prepaid electricity. We can offer a realistic solution.”
serving the community

They are also responsible for South Africa’s first solar-lit police station. The Boschkop police station in Pretoria now boasts solar lighting in a number of areas, including the trauma centre, holding cells, weapons safe, public toilets and walkways, parking areas for staff and visitors, and charge room. The external security lights are theft- and weather-proof.

“Police stations should never have to shut down because of a power outage,” said Addinall. “During power cuts the Boschkop police station stands out like a beacon in the dark. Before we installed the system, the station had been waiting two years for the Department of Public Works to fix the lights.”

He added that currently there are between 30 and 40 police stations without power around South Africa. Boschkop was a pilot project and the South African Police Service has since acknowledged the value of solar power at police stations, thus allowing them to efficiently serve their communities.

In March 2009 Addinall travelled to Shanghai, China, to attend the fourth Asia Solar Photovoltaic Exhibition. Betta Lights was the only African exhibitor out of 362 from more than 20 countries. With its flagship system, the company was one of just two to offer a practical solar solution in addition to showing off their technology.

Products developed and manufactured have been endorsed by the Central Energy Fund, a division of the Department of Minerals and Energy and the Southern African Alternative Energy Association (SAAEA)

The Western Cape, South Africa, is a leader in the renewable energy sector.

By
Oliver Gordon
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0
The Western Cape is a leader in the renewable energy sector, being the first province to have a Sustainable Energy Strategy and a Policy for Solar Water Heaters in place. The province current electricity consumption is approximately 3500 megawatts (MW). To ease the strain on energy demand currently, the province has set itself renewable energy targets of 15% by 2014.

Our advantages

  • Cape Town is the most cost competitive location for Solar Panel Manufacturing when compared to the leading locations in Europe
  • A typical 150 person Solar Panel Manufacturing Plant will cost approximately $4 million per annum in Cape Town – a saving of $7-11 million per annum compared to Dublin – and an average cost saving of $7.7 million across selected areas.
  • A Highly Skilled Production Operative will cost approximately $14,000 to employ in Cape Town.
  • Wind resources in the Western Cape are substantial – amongst the best in the country, with the average wind speed as measured across the Province at 12m is 6m/s.
  • Initial assessments show it will be possible to generate 2800MW of wind energy in the Western Cape taking into consideration certain development restrictions.
  • Wave power is a high potential energy resource for the Western Cape. There are significant resources along the West Coast (Cape Town and Cape Agulhas area).

    Opportunities

    Of all energy futures, renewable energy provides the most promising path. With the help of modest government funding of research and many dedicated entrepreneurs, solar, biomass, wind, and geothermal energy sources have become less expensive and more reliable. All have developed important niche markets and a clean and sustainable renewable energy is more important now than ever.

    Companies

    Companies active in the Western Cape include, amongst others:
    • Setsolar
    • BioCorp
    • Sustainable living projects
    • Ecosmart
    • Iceberg Solar
    • Energy efficient options cc
    • Solien
    • Alt E technologies cc

    Access incentives

    The National Energy Regulators of South Africa, NERSA, has approved the Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff (REFIT) which welcomes energy generators in the renewable energy sector to undertake investment opportunities in the following sectors:
    • Wind Energy Generation
    • Small Scale Hydro
    • Landfill Gas
    • Concentrated Solar

    Take advantage of our free help.

Solar Panels – Are They a Threat to Biodiversity?

By
Oliver Gordon
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0
Solar Panels
Solar panels are gaining more recognition as key ingredients to produce eco-friendly and renewable source of energy. With growing need for more energy, there will be in future, a plethora of solar panels all over the world. Now this has become a source of eco-conservative concern, according to Mr. Bruce Robertson, Research Associate, from Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University.
Threat to biodiversity:
Mr. Robertson sounded a warning about a possible threat to biodiversity. He noted that the shining dark surfaces of the solar cells, which reflect light, resemble water surfaces resulting aquatic insects like mayflies depositing their eggs on the solar panels. The solar panels are posing a false habitat hazard to more than 300 species of insect. This leads to a reproductive failure which may have far-reaching cascading adverse effects to the food chain. The insects fall a prey to predators. This data was discovered from a research held at Hungary.
Mistaken surface:
After their research at Hungary, Mr. Robertson and his colleagues published an online article in ‘Conservation Biology.’ Reflected sunlight from expanses of dark surfaces that are shiny like glass-clad buildings, even vehicles, solar panels of all sizes, becomes a worrisome new source for polarized light pollution. This is what causes the caddis flies and other aquatic insects to mistake shining surface to be water surface to lay their eggs.
Warning off:
Mr Robertson estimated that white marking the solar cells may reduce this threat to a great extent. He calculated that the efficiency of solar cells is not too greatly affected by the white grids. While humans may recognize reflected sunlight as glare, the group discovered that the aquatic insects can be warned off by fixing white-color grids and other methods to break up the polarized reflection. Non-polarizing white-grid use is a new approach for habitat fragmentation, used beneficially here.
The SAAEA agrees with a comment posted to this original article by AE:
This is probably a hoax to discredit photovoltaic panels because they threaten to terminate the monopoly of the big electricity producers (fuel, coal, and nuclear plants) keeping us hostages at the outlets of their huge interconnected grids.

Does your region have the natural resources to exploit small hydropower?

By
Oliver Gordon
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0


Local hydropower sources can play an important role in the electrification of urban and rural areas.
A 10 MW plant could power an African town of 50,000 people.
Estimates of the untapped potential for small hydro plants in Africa range to over 60,000 MW, but only several hundred megawatts of capacity has been built.
The current interest by African governments – local and national, municipalities and international donors, development banks and the private sector – in increasing energy access in Africa’s rural communities will facilitate the uptake of this robust, environmentally friendly form of energy.
Hydropower Africa 2010 will allow you the opportunity to learn from Africa’s most recognised hydropower industry experts. Network with key solution providers, project consultants and engineers in the hydropower sector and learn how you could make a difference to your community’s energy demands.
What to expect at Hydropower Africa 2010:
  • Discover how hydropower could optimise your energy mix and cost effectively meet your area’s capacity requirements

  • How to get most of your existing hydropower infrastructure through rehabilitation, maintenance and increased efficiency

  • Learn more about the potential and challenges for small hydropower to electrify urban and rural areas

  • Discover how to utilise current dam sites to generate hydro-electric power

  • Hear from the Ministers themselves about investment prospects for hydropower in Africa and how to unlock Africa’s hydro potential to promote sustainable development, regional cooperation and water and energy security in your area

BRING YOUR ENTIRE TEAM ALONG
One free registration for every 4 registrations from the same company!

SolaireDirect expects solar parks to take off in South Africa

By
Oliver Gordon
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0
Local solar photovoltaic (PV) panel manufacturer SolaireDirect has purchased additional manufacturing equipment, which allows it to produce roof integrated solar PV panels at its Cape Town facility.
SolaireDirect business development manager Ryan Hammond explained that the manufacturing facility in Cape Town has been operational since March 2009, and was capable of producing 35 MW of solar PV modules a year, with in-built capacity to increase output three-fold to about 100 MW of PV panels a year.
The initial investment in the manufacturing facility was R50-million, and R30-million of that was funded through a loan from the Industrial Development Corporation.
Addressing delegates gathered at a French South African Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the new OR Tambo Intercontinental Hotel on Thursday, Hammond said that the facility employed some 70 people, who have received skills development training.
The panels produced in Cape Town were largely for the use of the company itself, which also designs, builds, and operates solar PV parks. Although none have been built in South Africa, the global company has experience constructing solar PV farms in France.
“PV panels as a total percentage of the capital cost of a solar PV project, is in the region of 75%, so for us, the control over that large cost element, as well as the control over the supply of those panels, is vitally important to our operations, not only here in South Africa, but of course in France, and in years to come in India and other emerging markets that we decide to target as well,” Hammond said.
Hammond also noted that the implementation of the renewable energy feed-in-tariff (Refit) programme in South Africa would hasten the construction of solar park projects, which were already quite far advanced in the development stage.
“We are still very hopeful that we will see the power purchase agreements and Refit implementations roll out before the end of this year. Much of the development work is already under way, so depending on what projects are approved under that process, I think you could see construction happen early in 2011, assuming your Refit happens this year, and we could potentially see some projects completed by the end of 2011, depending on size and rate at which they can be constructed,” he added.
From the company’s experience in France, typically, a 10 MW solar park could be constructed in less than a year. The ability to roll out the technology quickly was viewed as a significant benefit.
The company was also investigating the potential for projects in Botswana and Namibia, and was in the early stages of some projects in Mozambique as well. These developments would not take place under a Refit scenario, but rather a commercial operation.
Large electricity users in the mining and industrial sectors were also said to be displaying a keen interest in the solar park proposal.
For example, if a large mine was running on diesel because that was the only alternative that they had in terms of generating electricity, SolaireDirect could put up an equivalent size solar park, and supply close to 30% of that electricity from solar sources, at a cost less than the diesel costs per kWh.
The fact that a solar park had no fuel costs was a definite advantage. “This has two important impacts, number one, we are not reliant on any fossil fuel, and in production we don’t create any greenhouse gases. Furthermore, that gives price certainty. When you build a solar park you know on day number one what the electricity price from that solar park will be on the last day of the twenty-fifth or the thirtieth year of operation, so it introduces a commercial certainty to the price of electricity,” Hammond reiterated.
“That is really where solar power has a significant role to play in a country like South Africa. Not just making our overall generation portfolio greener, but also providing price, and hence commercial stability to the cost of electricity,” he concluded.
Engineering News

GCX Certified Carbon Literacy Course

By
Oliver Gordon
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0
GCX Certified Carbon Literacy Course
This one day course gives employees and executives a good working knowledge of carbon related factors that will have to be included in their strategies to ensure their departments and businesses are prepared for doing business in a new low-carbon economy. Companies in every industry need to understand the issues surrounding climate change that are beginning to affect their businesses.
These include: carbon emission measurement, monitoring and reductions, the carbon markets, carbon trading, offsetting strategies, as well as how carbon taxation may affect their companies.
Governments around the world are putting a price on carbon, either through taxation or with a trading scheme. Companies will have to start disclosing and reporting on their annual emissions.
When: Tuesday 15 June 09:00 – 17:00
Where: The Longhouse, Bergvliet
Contact: Timea Kulcsar
Number: 083 6330121
Email: timeak@globalcarbonexchange.com
Cost: R2250.00
Website: http://www.globalcarbonexchange.co.za/courses.html

Gauteng (South Africa) Energy Efficiency Seminar…Thursday 26th August 2010

By
Oliver Gordon
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0

The province of Gauteng is the primary economic driving force for the continent of Africa. It also contains a densely populated urban metropolis, which along with the mining, processing, manufacturing and construction sectors has an immense appetite for energy.
Due to its relevance to Africa and thus to the world, Gauteng
is strategically critical to any discourse about sustainability, and
energy is at the epicentre of that issue.
Introducing the Gauteng Energy Efficiency Seminar – an
event that seeks to promote knowledge about the realities of
energy consumption in Gauteng, identify the opportunities for
achieving efficiencies, and facilitate the lifting of institutional
barriers to unlocking these opportunities.
Hosted by the EnerKey Initiative of the University of
Johannesburg, the Gauteng Energy Efficiency Seminar will
bring together provincial and local government, commerce
and industry and professionals and consultants to discuss,
debate, learn about and ultimately implement effective energy
efficiency interventions.
This intensive, one day seminar will feature elucidating
presentations from world class speakers such as invited
luminaries John L Less (Clinton Climate Foundation), Head of
Gauteng Energy Efficiency Strategy, Dr Ajay Mathur (DG of
the India Bureau of Energy Efficiency), Jeremy Gibberd – CSIR,
Prof. Elsa du Toit (SAHA International) as well as other regional
thinkers and decision-makers, with an emphasis on the facts
and on practical, effective solution finding.
Also happening at the Seminar: the official launch of the
Sustainable Energy Resource Handbook, edited by Professor
Elsa du Toit, Associate Director at SAHA International and
former Director for Energy Efficiency at the DME. All attending
delegates will receive a free copy of the Handbook.
Glean a deeper understanding of why Gauteng is embracing
EE from those that are directing energy efficiency
internationally and in Gauteng, network with regional decision
makers in industry, commerce and government and leverage
these new ideas and relationships into your activities and
projects.
The Gauteng Energy Efficiency Seminar is a micro-event and
limited delegate seats are available.
Venue….The CSIR International Conventional Centre, Pretoria
Full Brochure Download Pdf


NOTICE…Change of event name and date….

Global carbon price platform required to help drive mitigation efforts

By
Oliver Gordon
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0
A “global uniform carbon price” was needed to ensure that adequate greenhouse gas emission mitigation took place to stop temperatures from rising to levels where dangerous climate changes would take place, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) structural policy analysis senior economist Alain de Serreshas argued.
Delivering a lecture at Wits Business School recently, De Serres acknowledged that the world was “quite far” from global carbon pricing, while the journey to attaining that goal would be a fraught one.
Currently, the cost of emission reduction was unevenly distributed among countries, while the incentives to ‘free-ride’ on the action of others remained strong for some countries. Thirdly, the non-co-ordinated nature of actions raised concerns about carbon leakage and competitiveness losses.
He said that a policy mix and course of action should be designed to minimise the costs for all, and emphasised that developed and developing countries should act together to mitigate emissions.
There were a number of carbon trading schemes in existence already, but De Serres said that it was necessary to move away from these scattered price instruments to a global carbon market.
This would require: removing fossil fuel subsidies; expanding and linking emissions trading systems in existence; scaling up crediting mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism; and implementing sectoral emission reduction targets.
De Serres also stressed that the window of opportunity to take low-cost mitigation action would close within the next ten to 15 years.
If emission mitigation was done efficiently, he added, the economic impacts would not be far lower than anticipated. In fact, it was estimated that efficient and rapid action for emission mitigation would cost one tenth of a percentage point of growth.
But those countries that were carbon intensive, as well as those with large fossil-fuel producing industries, would find the transition difficult and could face the largest losses.
ADAPTATION
Speaking from the same platform, OECD climate change, biodiversity and development division senior economist Shardul Agrawala argued that, while reducing emissions was important, it was not enough, and countries and companies also needed to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Adaptation to the effects of climate change was a relatively new concept in the business area, which has to date been focused on policy risks and the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and avoid taxes, rather than on the physical risks posed by a changing climate.
Agrawala stated that business was becoming more familiar with the physical risks, however, few companies have done an in depth risk assessment, and if they had, even fewer had actually implemented actions to lower the risks.
He added that this “gulf between awareness and action” stemmed from a reluctance to make investments in this regard, as decisions on upfront investments were usually dictated by developments on shorter time scales.
Spatial mobility in a globalised environment also reduced the incentive for expensive location specific adaptation, as resources could be procured from many different places.
It was also noted that climatic variables, and scientific scandals and uncertainty also made a difference when it came to justifying upfront investments.
Agrawala said that public policy could play a role in adaptation by providing reliable climate information through real-time monitoring. It could also provide regulatory and research and development incentives, create markets for efficient allocation of climate sensitive resources such as water, and correct market imperfections in the insurance market.
There was said to be a role for public-private partnerships in the provision of adaptation infrastructure, as this was likely to cost billions.
Engineering News
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