Ignite Energy, a local, two-year old, power generations solutions company, has been selected to set up a 40 MW hybrid solar, battery and heavy fuel oil plant at Resolute Mining’s Syama Gold Mine in Mali. This is in addition to a 20 MW grid-tied solar PV project that the company is involved in at a […]
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 […]
Eskom’s road to sustainability will be long, hard and painful. The power utility is facing severe challenges financially and operationally. The risk of load shedding in the coming months remains fairly high; the cost of keeping the lights on will further impact financial performance; and tough decisions are necessary to achieve full recovery. That’s the […]
In a presentation to the Regenesys Business School in Johannesburg recently, Busi Nxumalo, the vice chair of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA), said that renewable energy is a key element in South Africa’s economic growth plan. Renewable energy has been included in the Department of Energy’s integrated resource plan (IRP) for electricity from […]
The Voltex Group has launched the Voltex Home Solar kit, a complete solution for electrical contractors wishing to provide efficient domestic installations. It is also an affordable option for the homeowner. The 5 kW VHS kit comes with 15 x 265 Wt solar panels and a 4000 W LiFePO4 battery. Voltex supplies a backboard prewired […]
A proprietary technical and economic model was used to determine the optimal sizing of a grid-connected PV-BESS (solar PV and battery energy storage system) combination for a mine under development and located in the Northern Cape. This article presents the analysis of grid parity dynamics based on the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) concept to […]
Eskom’s new chief executive officer, Phakamani Hadebe, says the board has approved a turnaround strategy which will address the power utility’s major difficulties. The institution has compiled a 9-point recovery plan which is designed to overcome problems in its generation division and enable the power utility to meet its obligations to provide a reliable supply […]
Utilities work continuously to leverage their assets. They are challenged to grow earnings even when they do not have the corresponding revenue growth. For this there are no standards, only best practices. And everything is performed under the strict and severe supervision of a public commission while at the mercy of local circumstances and considerable […]
When the IRP 2018 was published for comment in August 2018 a number of people (including me) breathed a collective sigh of relief that the hotly debated, dreaded and much anticipated large allocation of capacity to cripplingly expensive, and potentially politically tainted nuclear energy wasn’t there. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and a […]
Eskom’s coal stockpile situation has deteriorated further, with five power stations having less than 10 days’ stock. Interventions to stabilise the coal supply may only have a positive impact by March next year. This means Eskom is entering the rainy season in Mpumalanga extremely exposed and that load shedding is a real risk, Eskom spokesperson Khulu […]
