In some parts of South Africa’s Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, sugarcane fields stretch as far as the eye can see.

The crop is more than just a treat for those with a sweet tooth: in 2017 the country’s sugar industry had an estimated value of more than R12 billion; of this, sugarcane production alone was worth R5.1 billion.

But the sugar industry is shrinking, at least partly because many people are eating less sugar, for health reasons. How, then, might sugarcane production continue to extract value? We believe the answer lies with the crop’s waste material.

Sugarcane bagasse is the fibrous material left over after the crop has been crushed to extract its juice to make sugar.

About 54 million tonnes of sugarcane bagasse is produced annually around the world. The inadequate disposal of this bagasse leads to environmental pollution and attracts many insects when left unattended.

But there are ‘jewels’ among the piles of ash that remain once bagasse is burned.

With the right chemical and physical processes, valuable nanoparticles of silicon and silica — which are used in the construction, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and detergent industries, among others — can be generated.

Scores of chemical processes are being tested and fine-tuned to extract silica from bagasse ash, and from there synthesising it into silicon particles.

Some tests are fairly advanced but nobody has yet cracked the code to producing high grade, pure silica at levels high enough to meet industrial demands.

Our recent work took a ‘green’ approach to the extraction process. First, we confirmed what a growing body of research has shown: that sugarcane bagasse ash is a natural resource of silica which should be harnessed for industrial purposes.

And, using organic acids and bases, we showed what processes might be used for a more environmentally friendly extraction procedure.

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From Alex Lenferna - 350Africa.org

Thank you to everyone who supported our Mandela Day march to the presidency demanding an emergency renewable energy plan. Whether you took to the streets, signed the petition, or helped spread the word, we value your support and role in the movement.

One week after our march, the president announced his energy plan[1]. It had some good, some bad, and some complicated elements in it[2]. The good news is renewable energy was front and centre as the key to solving our interconnected energy and climate crisis.

Thanks to everyone who has continued pushing for a renewable energy future. Due in large part to the continued and collective efforts of our movement, polluting, harmful, and expensive energy options like new coal featured nowhere in the president’s energy plan. 

There is much that is worthy of celebration in the president’s plan, like incentivising rooftop solar, doubling renewable energy in the next bid window, and Eskom’s plans to manufacture solar and storage. There are also several  things we worry about, like the role of gas, the possible fast-tracking of powerships, and the lack of policies to encourage progressive, socially owned renewable energy. 

Some bad news is that the same minister who failed to deliver on the last emergency energy plan will be in charge of delivering on large parts of this plan, namely, Minister Mantashe and his dysfunctional Department of Mineral Resources & Energy (DMRE). We know that he will continue to push for polluting and expensive energy projects that put the profits of an elite few over people and the planet. 

So, now that the president’s plan is out, we cannot afford to become passive. There’s a lot more work to be done in ensuring a rapid and just transition to renewable energy that provides safe, clean and affordable energy for all. Now is the time to push even harder for the energy future we want. Let’s keep up the pressure until we have built an energy future that delivers on climate and energy justice!

Onwards,

Alex on behalf of the Climate Justice Coalition.

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As Eskom load shedding prevails, some cities are turning to the private sector to solve the crisis, with much interest being shown in renewable energy projects.
Cities including Johannesburg, Cape Town and eThekwini are trying to tackle dire energy shortages while also meeting environmental commitments.

Michael Sun, Johannesburg’s mayoral committee members for the environment and infrastructure services, told the Joburg Energy Indaba that in 2022 load shedding had cost the country between R60-billion and R120-billion.

“Now you can imagine, if we could use that money, that we suffered as a loss, in building our economy, investing in infrastructure,” said Sun.

Here’s what’s happening in three of South Africa’s major cities.

Johannesburg
The City of Joburg held its first Energy Indaba on 23 May, aimed at finding sustainable and affordable solutions to the energy crisis. Mayor Mpho Phalatse said: “We cannot assume any more that our power will be solely generated by Eskom. Instead, more and more alternative energy models have come through and, as the City, we are forced to recognise so-called embedded generation as a serious option.”

The indaba aimed to engage with businesses and the government to find a way to reduce the city’s 90%  energy dependence on Eskom and find a permanent solution to load shedding.

Eskom uses mostly fossil fuels, as does independent Kelvin Power Station, from where the municipality gets the remaining 10% of its power, and the city council is keen on “clean” alternatives.

In the short term it wants a 28% reduction in carbon gas emissions, and has a longer term goal of zero emissions by 2050. Technologies identified include solar, battery storage, waste-to-energy and gas.

“Clean energy provided by independent power producers will not only improve the City’s energy security, but also respond positively to the climate change imperative,” said Phalatse.
​
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Of the sixteen registered power generation systems, eleven will be generating electricity for their own use, and five generation facilities will be generating for commercial purposes.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has announced the registration of 16 embedded generation projects with a total power generation capacity of 211 megawatts (MW). The regulator announced the registrations during its executive committee meeting on Monday.

The renewable energy projects will have a cumulative estimated investment value of R3.65-billion (US$234 million). 

According to Regulator Member, Muzi Mkhize, it took an average of 19 days for NERSA to process the applications for each of the 16 projects after registration. Mkhize also mentioned that the 19-day approval process trend was also the same period it took for registration of projects registered in 2020 and 2021.

“All 16 applications were received during April 2022 and processed within 19 working days. Three generation facilities for commercial purposes are above 10MW. Since the increase of the registration threshold from 1MW to 100MW, NERSA has approved 216 registration applications,” NERSA said.

South Africa now allows for setting up of embedded generation systems for up to 100MW without requiring licensing, but the projects still have to be approved by the energy regulator NERSA. South Africa’s renewable energy industry has been calling for an expedited registration process for projects to help the country improve energy supply and reduce blackouts (load-shedding)

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​NERSA revealed that 54 generation facilities with a total capacity of 29.148MW were approved in the first quarter of 2022. The total investment cost is approximately R452 million.

Of the sixteen registered power generation systems, eleven will be generating electricity for their own use, and five generation facilities will be generating for commercial purposes. NERSA says all applicants have connection approvals from licensed distributors. 

“Twelve applicants will be connected to the Eskom network and four to the municipal networks. Fifteen applicants use solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, and one applicant uses wind turbine technology,” NERSA adds.

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South Africa’s plan to procure emergency power to help Eskom stave off load-shedding before the end of 2022 has been utterly derailed.

The energy department on Thursday announced it had signed off on a power purchasing agreement (PPA) with Norwegian company Scatec to provide 150MW of dispatchable renewable generating capacity.

This was part of the Risk Mitigation Programme Independent Power Producers Programme (RMIPPP).

The hybrid installation in the Northern Cape will consist of 540MW of solar PV capacity and 1.1GWh of battery storage, providing the ability to dispatch 150MW to Eskom’s grid at any given time.

The project must now reach financial close within 60 days from the signoff, after which construction will begin. It is expected to start providing power to the national grid by the end of 2023.

These are the first of 11 planned RMIPPP projects progressing to this stage.

Government first announced its plan to procure emergency power in December 2019.

The department officially gazetted the programme on 7 July 2020.

One of its main goals was to address the electricity supply gap that prevented Eskom from performing necessary maintenance on its coal power fleet, forcing it to implement severe load-shedding.

The programme also intended to reduce the power utility’s reliance on expensive diesel-based peaking open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs).

Eskom’s OCGTSs provide extra power during high demand periods when its typical generation is insufficient.

In March 2021, the department announced the eight preferred RMIPPP bidders, with a combined dispatchable capacity of 1,825MW.

The three projects from Scatec were added to the list three months later, meaning the programme would provide 1,975MW capacity once all the projects were built.

However, the approval of power purchasing agreements for the remaining eight projects dragged along at a snail’s pace.

The result is that none of the projects are expected to be completed by the end of the year — which was the deadline government initially set by which bidders had to supply electricity.

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Johannesburg executive mayor Mpho Phalatse said to date South Africans across all municipalities have installed an estimated 200MW of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, according to the energy regulator Nersa.

She was speaking on the first day of the Joburg Energy Indaba where the city and independent power producers (IPPs) are in conversation about the need to add alternative power to the grid.

The city plans to add 500MW of gas and solar energy to supplement coal power.  

Last year the city said it was looking to add 200MW of electricity from photovoltaic farms and rooftop suppliers, 200MW of private photovoltaic electricity generation to the grid, 50MW of gas-powered electricity generation and 25MW capacity from waste in the Robinson Deep landfill site.

As an example of how this translates, a presenter at the indaba, Justin Ward, the technical manager for First National Battery, said 1MW would power 164 houses.

Phalatse said bringing independent power producers (IPPs) online would take 18-36 months.

“As wholesale electricity tariffs rise, we can expect more rooftop PV systems to be installed. This threatens to reduce the city’s energy revenues, and we are best advised to be proactive in providing alternative energy solutions for our residents.

“The adoption of storage technologies based on battery systems or other options continues to grow as they become relatively cost-effective. Small-scale embedded generation through biomass, biogas and municipal waste are areas holding great potential for creating a circular economy around waste management, but we have hardly seen investment of sizeable quantity in that space.”

Read more..........

There are several pitfalls when using solar power that can result in things going wrong during the insurance claims stage, warns Elite Risk MD Tarina Vlok.

Elite Risk is a specialist high net worth insurer and subsidiary of Old Mutual Insure.

Wealthy South Africans are reducing their reliance on Eskom’s national grid by partially or fully converting their households to solar energy.

Some wish to escape the ever-increasing price hikes, and others want a reliable power supply free from load-shedding interruptions. Many want to do their part for the planet by using cleaner energy.

However, homeowners should ensure their solar installations comply with regulations, so they do not run into issues with their insurer down the line.

“The installation of solar geyser systems differs immensely from that of an electrical system and is subject to strict regulations,” said Vlok.

“We often have to reject claims or are unable to replace geysers because the previous installation did not comply with regulation.”

Full solar energy installations are expensive — ranging from R80,000 for small grid-tied systems to over R500,000 to take a larger house completely off-grid.

“If you are spending this kind of money on a solar system, then it makes sense to work with qualified technicians and installers who know what they are doing,” said Vlok.

“You don’t want any regrets should you need to ever claim from your insurer.”
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Vlok noted that an engineer’s certificate must be issued for all solar geyser installations of 300 litres or more.

She also encouraged clients to ensure that their solar geyser systems are installed by technicians who are well versed with the regulations and supported by the appropriate engineering professionals.

“Policyholders should make sure that their installer demonstrates that they are familiar with the technical regulations relating to solar installations,” said Vlok.

She summarised them as follows:

Installers must ensure that the roof structure can support the solar system. (SANS 10106:2014 5.3.1)
Where it is impossible to comply, a professional engineer or registered technologist must design the installation so that the standard’s safety and performance principles are incorporated. (SANS 10254 2017 4.1.1.2 and SANS 10106 2014 4.1.7)
Water heaters or storage tanks with a capacity of 200 litres or more may not be attached to a wall. (SANS 120252–1 2012 8.4.6.5)
The solar system must be installed so that it does not accelerate the deterioration of the roof. (SANS 10400-L, SANS 10243, and SANS 10252–1)
To avoid catastrophes when it comes to the claims stage, Vlok encouraged policyholders to use their insurer’s network to find accredited technicians and installers who can put the right solutions in place.

“If your electrical geyser bursts and you want to replace it, some specialist insurers will offer you the opportunity to use the claim payment to pay either in part or full for a solar geyser system instead of a new electric geyser,” Vlok said.

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