by Lauren Hermanus, University of Cape Town
South Africa’s power utility Eskom is on the brink of collapse. It owes foreign and local lenders more than R400-billion, it receives insufficient income from the sale of electricity to service its repayment commitments, is owed about R35-billion in overdue arrear debt by direct users and municipalities and is bogged down by two enormous “ill-designed” […]by Roger Lilley, EE Publishers
A culture of non-payment for electrical services by community members is prevalent in South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his recent State of the Nation address, said that this unwillingness to pay for services – which extends beyond electrical services – was a serious problem which the government will have to address urgently. Eskom’s chief […]Information from SGB-SMIT POWER MATLA
SGB-SMIT POWER MATLA is a local transformer company with factories in Pretoria and Cape Town. The company was formed when SGB-SMIT, the pure-play transformer specialist from Europe and Power Matla, a locally owned black-empowered company with investments within the renewable energy, ICT, mining and power utilities markets, launched the new operation on 1 August 2018. […]by Jessica Lovering and Kenton de Kirby, Breakthrough Institute
There is growing interest in nuclear power across several African countries. The USA could help to create more equitable and sustainable deployment of clean nuclear power on the African continent by assisting with the supply of advanced small modular nuclear reactors. Of the 30 countries identified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as interested […]by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
The days of mega-sized coal-fired projects are over, at least for this country. The use of coal as a fuel for power generation will nonetheless continue for many years in the future, with the difference that small-scale (clean) coal-fired plant (SSCFP) is seen to be the technology of choice. Future plant could be of a […]by Dr HA van der Linde and W Leaper, Leaper Innovate Green Energies
Energy storage by compressed air counters the disadvantages of lead-acid batteries while providing a lower energy-to-volume ratio. Lead-acid stationary batteries have been the storage method of choice since 1859 but they have always had the disadvantage of low energy-to-volume ratio. While other, often improved stationary battery technologies have since emerged, they too ultimately face the […]by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
MV distribution networks generally make use of uninsulated conductors strung between poles of varying materials. In many areas there is a risk of failure and consequent environmental damage with bare conductors. Insulated conductor systems for medium and high voltage have been developed to reduce risks and have proved to be successful in many areas. […]by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
Coal-fired power stations will continue to form a major portion of the power generation mix in the immediate future. Much research has been done on reducing CO2 emissions from these sources by CO2 capture, but very little on emission from smaller sources. An approach which captures CO2 directly from the atmosphere, remotely from the generating […]by Neil O’Sullivan and Bruno Kimura, Noja Power
Smart grid is on the agenda of almost every utility in the world today. A true smart grid starts with the automation of utilities distribution networks and a key building block for the automation of distribution networks is reclosers. What do reclosers need to provide this building block? Power utilities worldwide face similar challenges every […]by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
The chemical industry relies heavily on energy for all production processes, from petrochemical to pharmaceuticals to common everyday items. The availability of cheap electricity from renewable energy sources stands to revolutionise the industry, and replace depletable feedstock with renewable material, using surplus electricity from renewable sources. The chemical industry is the largest industrial user of […]Information from ABB
To safeguard their future, mining companies must improve performance, cut production costs, reduce environmental impact, and increase automation. Mining companies face major challenges in terms of sustainable growth. As demand for commodities exceeds supply, mining companies search for new deposits in remote and inhospitable regions where production costs are high. In addition, they seek to […]by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
The use of wastewater for energy generation by biodigestion and generation of biogas is a well established process in use at numerous waste-water treatment plants. A new approach, based on microbial fuel cells, which offers a scalable alternative with much potential, is in the development stages. The technique also has an application to acid mine […]by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
Providing a simpler approach for surge and lightning protection insurance for thatched roofed buildings which combines public and product liability, professional indemnity and the underwriting of electronic equipment insurance is now available. The product is based on use of DEHN components, approved design, approved installation and approved maintenance. Hano Oelofse, managing director at lightning and […]by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
Electrical power generation can make use of several biomass processes, including direct combustion, combustion of gas derived from fermentation or gasification, and combustion of pyrolysis fuel. Thermal gasification and pyrolysis are seen as the most promising technologies for the generation of electricity from biomass. Biofuels are fuels produced directly or indirectly from organic material or […]by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
Development of electrical energy storage technology and applications in the electrical energy sector is moving ahead in leaps and bounds. All sectors are affected , from generation to consumption, and technology is advancing rapidly towards larger and larger network and grid installations, while at the same time reducing the cost of smaller behind-the-meter installations. Energy […]