Eskom been downplaying and minimising the possibility of load shedding since the blackouts of 2008. Only a week ago, Eskom CEO Brian Dames told the assembled media that Eskom had the power system in South Africa fully under control. Yesterday, however, Eskom pulled the plug on the country and commenced with rotational load-shedding of domestic, […]
by Terry Mackenzie-Hoy, University of Witwatersrand What happens in dealing with the intermittent input from wind turbines? It is not too much of a problem at present with the relatively small wind generation programme planned. Beyond that, there could be problems. Potentially one has an unpredictable power swings of about 1485 MW (wind) and predicable […]
Eskom’s Kusile power station, which is currently under construction near Emalahleni (Witbank) in Mpumalanga province, has been awarded first prize in the 2013 Be Inspired competition, in the Innovation in Power Generation category for the innovative development and use of a 3D Plant Operating & Maintenance (O&M) Simulator. The O&M Simulator was created on 3D-Pact […]
by Pierre Potgieter, EE Publishers Ayanda Nakedi, senior general manager of Eskom’s Renewables Unit, has been awarded the Dictum Publishers’ 2013 Boss of the Year Award, a national, independent award nominated for by the candidate’s colleagues and employees. Nakedi spoke to Energize about her award, her work, and her success. It’s an old school […]
by Roger Lilley, editor Addressing the media regarding the state of the system, Eskom’s chief executive, Brian Dames, said that last week’s emergency was caused by the loss of about half of the electricity it usually receives from the Cahora Bassa hydro-electric scheme in Mozambique. This shortfall brought an already tight supply system dangerously […]
Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm announced that ten of the project’s wind turbines have now commenced supplying power to Eskom, one of the country’s first wind farms to do so in South Africa. Over 65% of the project’s total of 60 wind turbines have already been erected. The transportation programme, which began on 22 July 2013, and […]
Following the recent IMF Annual Meeting, CNBC Africa hosted a special panel discussion and debate at the Wits Business School in Johannesburg to discuss South Africa’s role in the global energy market. The discussion focused on the state of energy in Africa and how the business sector is addressing these challenges and the implications of […]
by M du Preez and WJD van Schalkwyk, Eskom Unplanned outages often occur as a result of transformers, drop-out fuses and surge arresters which fail during lightning storms. MV drop-out fuses with upstream feeder protection need to be properly graded to ensure correct protection during both lightning and power frequency faults. Download the PDF
Recent media reports about Eskom’s plans to reduce its generating capacity to comply with the requirements of the minimum emission standards (MES) of the air quality act have caused concern about an already strained generation fleet. This article looks at some of the issues raised about the efficacy of compliance with new standards. Download the […]
De Aar Solar Power is exporting power into the De Aar Municipality’s power grid. In the event of a power outage due to scheduled maintenance by Eskom, or perhaps a fault on the line, the company will be able to supply power to the town and surroundings areas. During the commissioning process, the inverters […]
