The operative word this year’s African Utility Week exhibition and conference, to be held in Cape Town on May 14 and 15, is ‘practical’, says event director Russell Hughes.

“I want to invite our expo visitors to come and get their hands dirty while earning some valuable Continuing Professional Development points.”

Some 5 000 power- and water-sector professionals from all over the continent will attend Africa’s leading power and water exhibition and conference at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, where power utility Eskom CE Brian Dames will once again deliver the keynote address.
Says Hughes: “We have had extensive consultations with the utilities industry, associations such as Consulting Engineers South Africa, the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers, the South African Institution of Civil Engineering and the South African Institute of Mechanical Engineers, as well as leading solutions providers, and it is clear there is a real need for practical information and hands-on training based on real-life projects, case studies, development and research.”

He continues: “We offer a tailored selection of 60 free-to-attend technical workshops which offer one CPD accreditation point a day. They will offer practical take-home solutions, demonstrations and practice installation opportunities for electricians, engineers and other power professionals in the metering, water, transmission and distribution, smart grids, hydro and renew- able-energy sectors. “These workshops allow companies to upskill their teams in two focused days to help increase productivity and energy effi- ciency and become more aware of what is available in the market in terms of technology and other solutions.”

Exhibitor highlights include installations by ADC Energy, Zest, Powertech, Schneider Electric, Gamesa, AEG, Solar World, Andritz, Cummins, Itron, Bentley Systems and Eskom’s Grid Access Unit.

Up to two CPD credits can be earned by attending the technical workshops on the African Utility Week expo floor, with topics including:
• generation/transmission and distribution – type-test certification for transmission and distribution components for a reliable power network;
• transformers – integrating condition monitoring into a reliability-centred maintenance strategy;
• substations – predictive maintenance for metal-clad medium-voltage switchgear;
• metering – the pros and cons of unified automatic meter reading solutions for electricity, and remote reading of water meters;
• water – best-use practices in data acquisition and Web-based water loss management systems; and
• large power users – cogeneration/power plants (new product development in turbine technology).
New this year is the only outdoor exhibition for the power and water industries, with an exclusive outdoor expo area on medium-voltage products and automation equipment by Schneider Electric, which will address equipment reliability and maintenance needs. Companies can learn how to make the most out of their energy and receive a free full solution guide on all medium-voltage products.

Clean Power Africa
The co-located Clean Power Africa exhibition will enable companies to fulfil their energy generation capacity needs with the full power spectrum. The solar component of the expo has grown by over 300%, and companies such as Gamesa, Shannon Energy, Kaco, AEG, SMA, Solar World, Soventix and DuPont will display their state-of-the-art technology.

The topics covered by the free CPD-accredited technical workshops on renewable energy include:
• tips on how to become more energy efficient in your business;
• how to identify the challenges facing the building of renewables projects;
• retrofitting hydropower to South African dams; and
• construction monitoring in solar photovoltaic and wind.