The importance of measuring the costs and efficiency of building automation in terms of energy consumption is addressed in this virtual panel discussion. We asked three experts on the subject to share their views on these and other questions. Here are their views: Is the concept of building automation to reduce energy consumption and […]
Five girls from a primary school in Malelane, Mpumalanga, won US$30 000 at the eighth Africa Energy Awards for their innovative Syngas Stove Project. The project involved the development, design and manufacture of an efficient cooking stove for use in rural schools. The girls developed and tested a stove which they called the Syngas […]
South Africa’s power supply is taking strain and with the country’s grid nearing peak demand, an intervention is needed. To this end, several alternatives are being explored but there is a growing need for more sustainable methods of power generation and demand side management. According to the National Waste Information Baseline Report, of the […]
The publication by NERSA of a study document on small embedded renewable generators covering a proposed simplified net-metering (NM) system [1] has been greeted with enthusiasm by the industry, giving a measure of certainty to the way forward. However, the announcement by the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) that it will introduce time-of-use metering on […]
The energy storage platform (ESP) enables dramatic improvements in the operating cost and reliability of electricity for telecommunications, microgrids and other critical applications. In areas where the electric grid is unreliable and diesel generators are widely used to provide power, the ESP’s rapid charging and high energy capacity can cut diesel generator runtime by […]
South Africa’s nuclear programme is a vital part of the country’s contribution to scientific research and development, particularly in the field of medical isotopes. Speaking at the Nuclear Africa 2015 conference and exhibition, which was held at NECSA’s facility in Pelindaba recently, Phumzile Tshelane, the CEO of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), […]
The minister of energy, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, is scheduled to address the opening session of the African Utility Week conference and exhibition which is to be held at the Cape Town International Conference Centre from 12 to 14 May 2015. Evan Schiff, the event’s director, says that the Department of Energy has committed itself to […]
Data centres have for years been known to be excessive consumers of power, consuming up to 3% of all global electricity production, and roughly ten times more per square metre than the average office. Peter Greaves, Aurecon’s expert in data and ICT facilities, explains why data centres consume so much energy; how design principles can […]
Nhlanhla Nene, the minister of finance, has announced amendments to regulations 6 and 7 of the energy efficiency tax incentive regulations which were published by Government Notice number R.971 of 9 December 2013. These regulations form part of section 12L of the Income Tax Act of 1962. The amendment to regulation 6 deletes the […]
The South African Renewable Energy Council (SAREC) has welcomed the conclusions of a recent CSIR report showing that the net cost of South Africa’s renewable energy in 2014 was less than zero and reiterates that the industry is willing, ready and able to do much more to ease the country’s electricity shortage, now predicted […]
