There is an increasing demand for power generation, specifically standby power, in South Africa, owing to continuous electricity supply constraints and the need to sustain business operations, says generator and engine provider New Way Power CEO Hyram Serretta.

He states that the current state of the generator industry in South Africa is fragmented and, as a capital equipment business, is fairly volatile.

“Many of the large global players supply into South Africa and more than 20 manufacturers and assemblers supply locally. Unreliability of electricity supply from State-owned power utility Eskom and a general lack of grid power in African countries north of South Africa have driven demand for generators,” explains Serretta.

He points out that when choosing between a local or international manufacturer, the customer needs to establish the correct mix between price, quality and products manufactured for local conditions.

“The company noticed an increase in the volume of quotations for generators, and the market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years,” adds Serretta.

Diesel generators are still the standard in terms of the reliablity of standby power in the form of standby and prime power, as well as peak demand servicing times, he says.

The basic principles of generators, in particular the engine, alternator and fuel technology, have remained much the same over several years.

Serretta says: “It is possibly a combination of the transport industry being highly regulated, specifically in terms of emission requirements, hydrocarbon geopolitics and vested interests in protecting capital investments.”

However, marginal advancements have been made, such as cleaner running engines, quieter designs and more efficient units, comments Serretta.

“Technological advancement in the renewable- energy sector is, however, rapid, with the cost of established renewable technologies, such as photovoltaic panels, continually being driven down,” he adds.

Further, Serretta points out that despite alternative energy sources coming to the fore, Africa and South Africa will be dominated by capacity expansion to meet growing demand and energy intensity in the next 20 years, and not by the substitution of energy sources in the form of renewable energy.

Telecommunications in Africa

The telecommunications (telecoms) industry in Africa is a growing and highly competitive landscape. It requires reliable power and 100% uptime.

Many sites in Africa run solely on generator power, as there is no utility power available.

New Way Power offers a range of fuel tank options for generators, including 600 ℓ, 1 000 ℓ and 2 000 ℓ base tanks, single- or three-phase output supply, a wide range of engine options, soundproof and super-silent designs, an integrated or standalone Automatic transfer switch, dummy loads suited to the requirements of the telecoms environments and remote start units to integrate into the hybrid solutions required at telecom sites.