With the increase in very large utility solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, it is becoming common practice to install utility scale storage together with PV solar farms, rather than rely on grid storage or user storage. This is influenced by the choice to rely on controllable output than external factors such as grid interconnections. The […]
The Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (IPPPP) was put in place to manage the involvement and development of the Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Most of the IPP projects will be connecting to the Eskom electrical network. To this end the IPP sites need to be mapped. This article describes how they are mapped at […]
Solar PV project development and construction is well established internationally and particularly so in Europe and America. Africa has caught onto the wave with utility scale projects operational in Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Reunion, Rwanda, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda, with developments ongoing in many other countries. This article discusses the development of […]
One of the main drivers in photovoltaics (PV) has been increasing conversion efficiency. Solar PV is limited by the fact that it cannot use the full spectrum of energy available in sunlight. Thermal PV was originally developed to overcome this limitation, but has also found an application in the conversion of high temperature stored […]
The performance requirements of wind power plants (WPPs) are defined by the respective regulatory bodies for power system operation and are usually described in the form of a grid code. These codes usually define the expected operational ranges of frequency and voltage, the requirements for reactive power/voltage control and active power/frequency control. This article […]
Often hundreds of rotors can be installed in a typical wind farm. A little-known fact, however, is that the shadowing caused by the wind turbine rotors impacts the performance of neighbouring turbines and reduces their lifespan. As part of an EU project, researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are studying these interactions […]
Concentrated solar power systems have until recently focused on bulk electricity production, with the main focus on solar towers and trough type collectors. Recent developments have focused on smaller units to supplement thermal power stations and to provide heat for industrial processes. Collectors based on the linear Fresnel reflector design are leading the pack. […]
The plastic recycling industry handles a high proportion of plastic waste by mechanical recycling. Some plastics however, cannot be recycled by this method, and remain a problem in waste management. Systems have been developed that convert mixed non-recyclable plastics to fuel oil using scalable technology. Plastics are created primarily from energy feedstocks, typically natural […]
Nowadays, photovoltaic (PV) systems and wind turbines can be used with maximum efficiency by using an appropriate power converter. The increase in the use of power from these resources has led to the need for research on new control strategies and a suitable topology for high-power converters to meet the demands for performance and […]
Wind towers are currently limited in height by the limits placed on steel towers. Concrete and hybrid towers however, offer the possibility of on-site construction and innovative methods to reach hub heights of 120 m or more. Conventional steel towers used with wind turbines are limited by various factors to a hub height of […]
