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Renewable Energy News

Africa poised to be global renewable-energy leader – AfDB president

By: Terence Creamer 8th November 2018 African Development Bank (AfDB) president Dr Akinwumi Adesina says Africa is poised to become the leading region for renewable-energy globally and has reaffirmed the bank’s support for the ambitious ‘Desert to Power’ programme in the Sahel region. Speaking in Johannesburg at the inaugural Africa... →

Global body forecasts continued growth in wind energy generation capacity

By: Kim Cloete 8th November 2018 China, the US, Germany, India and Spain are the top five markets for wind energy in the world, with 19.6 GW of installed capacity in 2017, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). GWEC senior policy adviser Steve Sawyer said the figure was slightly down on the previous year, but was... →

Massmart top renewable energy user in South African retail

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th November 2018 JSE-listed consumer goods distributor Massmart Holdings has become the biggest producer of renewable energy in the South African retail sector, with a total 4.4-million kilowatt-hours generated from solar photovoltaic panels on the rooftops of six stores nationally. Massmart corporate affairs... →

Prices for renewable energy likely to drop further, suggests energy expert

By: Kim Cloete 7th November 2018 Prices for renewable energy are likely to continue to drop, while the next utility-scale renewable energy procurements will probably come sooner rather than later, suggests energy expert, Professor Anton Eberhard. “I have no doubt that we will see prices coming down further,” Eberhard told... →

Wind energy powers up in South Africa

By: Kim Cloete 7th November 2018 After two years of uncertainty, the wind energy industry is pumping again, with R50-billion of investment realised this year, says South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) chairperson Tebogo Movundlela. He told delegates at the opening of the 2018 Windaba, in Cape Town, on Wednesday, that... →

Radebe hints at possible Saudi investment to boost South Africa's oil refining capacity

By: Kim Cloete 7th November 2018 Energy Minister Jeff Radebe has called for a collaborative approach to attract investment in oil refining hubs throughout the continent and has hinted that Saudi Arabian investment in refining capacity in South Africa may soon become a reality. “In South Africa we believe the time has come for an... →

Oil, gas outlook positive amid tough conditions, says PwC review

By: Kim Cloete 7th November 2018 The outlook for Africa’s oil and gas industry is positive, despite tough economic conditions and far fewer discoveries over the past year, PwC’s yearly 'Africa Oil & Gas Review' shows. The review indicates how the industry has responded in the wake of the recovery of the oil price to close to... →

New oil, gas opportunities emerge in Sudan, Niger

By: Kim Cloete 7th November 2018 Some countries in Africa are emerging as potentially exciting players in the oil and gas space – from Sudan, which has emerged out of the clutches of civil war, to Niger, which is rising up as a new producer of petroleum products. Sudanese Petroleum and Gas Minister Azhari Abdalla Abdelgader on... →

South Africa joins the IEA as an association country

By: Kim Cloete 6th November 2018 South Africa has joined the International Energy Agency (IEA) as an association country in a move it believes will bring it closer to the cutting-edge of technology and global energy governance. It is the first country in Africa to be afforded this status. →

IEA executive director Dr Fatih Birol and Energy Minsiter Jeff Radebe

Renergen to list on ASX, continue expansion work on Virginia gas project

By: Simone Liedtke 6th November 2018 JSE-listed integrated alternative energy business Renergen plans to undertake a dual listing on the ASX on completion of a fully underwritten R125-million rights issue to shareholders. Commenting on the proposed upcoming ASX listing, which is scheduled for early 2019, depending on market... →

Renergen CEO Stefano Marani

South African wind farm yield forecasts in line with global norms – study

By: Terence Creamer 5th November 2018 South African wind farm yield predictions, which represent key inputs for the calculation of a project’s revenue and for the valuation of a potential investment, are as accurate as those from other established wind markets in Europe and North America, a new study shows. Conducted by Lloyd’s... →

Eskom launches microgrid pilot plant in Free State

By: Marleny Arnoldi 5th November 2018 State-owned power utility Eskom has launched a pilot solar-powered microgrid at Wilhelmina farm, in Fickburg, in the Free State. The microgrid demo plant is capable of providing electricity to 14 households with 81 family members, making up the Wilhelmina community. →

New dawn, and possible expansion, for trailblazing wind farm

By: Terence Creamer 5th November 2018 Independent energy company ENERTRAG South Africa, which acquired the iconic 5.2 MW Darling wind farm in mid-October, has confirmed that it intends studying the feasibility of expanding the Western Cape facility. The wind farm was South Africa’s first-ever renewable-energy independent power... →

The 5.2 MW Darling wind farm

Zambia power system glitch cuts electricity supply to some mines

By: Reuters 2nd November 2018 Power supply to some mines in Africa's second-biggest copper producer was cut due to a technical fault, Zambian state power firm Zesco said on Friday. "We had a system disturbance which led to loss of power on the Copperbelt, including the mines," the utility's spokesman Henry Kapata said. →

Egypt signs $2.3bn power plant deal with Saudi ACWA Power – Minister

By: Reuters 2nd November 2018 Egypt signed a deal with Saudi Arabian utility developer ACWA Power on Thursday to build a $2.3-billion power plant in the country's south, the Egyptian electricity minister said. The plant, which will have a capacity of 2 250 MW, will be built in Luxor province, the minister, Mohamed Shaker,... →

Small thermal plants hold promise for regions without grid electricity

By: Nadine James 2nd November 2018 Small-scale power generation plants driven by hydrocarbon sources and biomass are still likely to play a valuable part in rolling out electricity in regions of Africa unserved by grid power and where renewable resources are insufficient to sustain a reliable energy supply, according to SRK... →

Digitisation set to shake up the energy sector

By: Kim Cloete 1st November 2018 Energy experts believe there are great opportunities to save money and boost efficiency with a move towards more digitisation in the energy sector. They are preparing for a shake-up, spurred on by a move away from conventional generation systems, a surge in renewable energy and the introduction... →

Offgrid firm BBOXX targets two new African markets with EDF – CEO

By: Reuters 30th October 2018 UK-based off-grid power company BBOXX is looking to enter two new African markets in partnership with France's EDF Group next year as it capitalises on growing interest in the sector from large energy companies, its chief executive said on Monday. The two companies announced last week that the... →

Calls to even out procurement for wind energy

By: Kim Cloete 29th October 2018 The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has called for energy planners to even out the procurement of wind energy allocations between 2021 and 2030 to prevent a "stop-start" scenario. The current draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) has a gap in the years, 2022, 2023 and 2024, when no... →

Business concerned about coal sector job losses

By: Kim Cloete 26th October 2018 The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Black Business Council (BBC) have called for amendments to the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2018, telling Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Energy, on Friday, that the draft plan, with its emphasis on renewable energy rather than coal,... →

NGOs criticise IRP public hearings process

By: Kim Cloete 26th October 2018 Energy Governance South Africa (EGSA) has expressed concern about the way the public hearings process into the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) has been conducted in Parliament, saying it had been a "one-way flow of information, without interrogation and interaction". The organization has penned a... →

CSIR points to 30 000 net jobs gain in electricity to 2030, despite fall in coal jobs

By: Terence Creamer 26th October 2018 An analysis of the Department of Energy’s (DoE’s) recommended plan in the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2018 (IRP 2018) shows that there will be a 30 000 net increase in employment in the electricity industry to 2030, despite a 100 000 fall in coal jobs over the period. In its formal response to... →

South Africa prepares for an electrified future

By: Paige Müller 26th October 2018 Amid the conclusion of this year’s Sasol Solar Challenge (SSC), founder and director Winstone Jordaan tells Engineering News that South Africa is poised to adopt electrified transport. “Without any doubt in my mind, we are heading for an electric future. This means we must find better, cleaner... →

INSPIRING STUDENTS The Sasol Solar Challenge aims to inspire students to take up science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects

Klawer awaits PPA signature, while Roggeveld surges ahead

By: Tracy Hancock 26th October 2018 Having received preferred bidder status three years ago, Cape Town-based wind farm developer G7 Renewable Energies’ Klawer wind farm project awaits a power purchase agreement (PPA) signature before undertaking the 18 months of construction needed to add 5 MW of electricity to the national grid. →

KILIAN HAGEMANN A key area of improvement would be greater visibility and certainty of future power procurement, but G7 Renewable Energies is confident that the new Integrated Resource Plan will address this

Wind farm to power local development

By: Tracy Hancock 26th October 2018 The R3.1-billion Perdekraal East Wind Farm, in the Western Cape’s Witzenberg local municipality, has started work on its electrical distribution network, edging closer to not only making an impact on the national grid but also on the economies of surrounding communities. →

Wind energy investors watching S Africa closely

By: Tracy Hancock 26th October 2018 For the last several years, from the wind industry’s perspective, the South African government has done everything it can to discourage investor confidence; however, that has changed with the new government, states Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). →

SAWEA CEO bullish about SA wind energy outlook

By: Tracy Hancock 26th October 2018 As forecast, 2018 is shaping up to be a landmark year for the South African energy sector, South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) CEO Brenda Martin tells Engineering News. Bolstering South Africa’s energy sector is much-improved policy certainty, transparent decision-making and public... →

MONEY IN THE WIND Wind power is a significant foreign direct investment contributor and a driver of local socioeconomic growth in South Africa

Industry growth demands maintenance skills

By: Tracy Hancock 26th October 2018 With the growth in wind energy utilities, the demand to install, repair and maintain such facilities in Africa, including South Africa, is on the rise, says Knowledge Pele (KP) Academy head Richard Setati. He tells Engineering News that many reports and commentators attest to the overall growth... →

South32 foresees short-term volatility, but long-term growth, sustainability

By: Schalk Burger 25th October 2018 Diversified mining and metals company South32 on Thursday forecast short-term price volatility for the commodities it produces, but also highlighted its strong cash position and its work to further optimise its global portfolio of assets. In a speech delivered at the company’s 2018 annual general... →

Siemens launches distributed energy system as solution to Africa’s energy transition

By: Simone Liedtke 25th October 2018 German electronics manufacturer Siemens on Wednesday launched, at its headquarters in Midrand, its end-to-end distributed energy system (DES) as a solution to assist the African continent in its energy transition. The DES provides for the targeted use of renewable energy, combined heating and... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Siemens HQ and its solar car park in Midrand, Johannesburg

Mali's first independent power project to start up next week

By: Reuters 25th October 2018 Mali's first independent power project – a €122-million ($139.06-million), 90 MW diesel plant – will go online next week in the country's gold-rich southwest, a board member of the operator said on Wednesday. The new plant could spur more of the foreign investment Mali has struggled to attract... →

Cosatu calls for overhaul of draft IRP

By: Kim Cloete 24th October 2018 The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has rejected the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2018, calling for an overhaul. It also called for a firm commitment not to retrench workers as well as tougher, hard-hitting plans to halt looting and recover money stolen from Eskom. →

Don’t limit renewables in IRP, urges prominent activist

By: Kim Cloete 24th October 2018 Prominent activist Liz McDaid has called on the government not to limit the construction of renewable energy capacity under the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2018. “A look at the IRP says renewables must be constrained. The rationale for restricting renewables is to pull nuclear or coal... →

NGOs call for more time to deliberate on the draft IRP

By: Kim Cloete 23rd October 2018 Earthlife Africa has called for more time to deliberate on the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), saying the 60-day period for public comment is "highly ambitious" and many citizens have been left out of the process. Makoma Lekalakala of Earthlife Africa said South Africans had a right to... →

Energy storage seen as an enabler for grid modernisation in realising IRP 2030 vision

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd October 2018 The advent of technologies such as energy storage, small-scale embedded generation and smart grid solutions are set to fundamentally change South Africa’s electricity landscape, outgoing Eskom generation group executive Thava Govender said during an opening address at the SA Energy Storage... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Eskom generation group executive Thava Govender

Pollutec 2018 shines the spotlight on Burkina Faso

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd October 2018 Pollutec 2018, which will mark the fortieth anniversary of this international environmental trade show, is set to cover 14 key industry sectors, and focus keenly on Africa – notably Burkina Faso – as well as other key regions, such as South America and South-East Asia. Pollutec has featured an... →

Eskom gearing up for big grid-scale battery storage roll-out

By: Terence Creamer 22nd October 2018 State-owned electricity utility Eskom is preparing to roll-out battery energy storage systems (BESS) across multiple sites as part of a replacement plan for the 100 MW Kiwano concentrated solar power (CSP) project initially approved as part of the $3.75-billion World Bank loan extended to the... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Eskom has been testing battery storage solutions at its research facility in Rosherville for the past few years

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