In 2017, the South African Department of Energy (DoE) released Schedule 2 to the Electricity Act of 2006, which revised the licensing and registration requirements for categories of generators. Under these new rules, generators smaller than 1MW are exempted from having to obtain a license but need to be registered with NERSA. Every form of home electricity generation – including solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and backup generators – will have to be registered with the government under draft rules published by the National Energy Regulator of SA (NERSA) for public comment. The proposed SSEG rules were published for public comment by NERSA on its website on 26 April 2018.

These rules have yet to be implemented. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) called on NERSA to scrap these rules, and in May 2018 that is exactly what they did. Nevertheless, the City of Cape Town has implemented these rules in their municipality as of May 2019, and the City of Tshwane has followed suit in 2021. This was done as a pre-emptive move towards legislation that is on hold now.

OUTA gave on their newsroom platform the following statement.“The Department of Energy (DoE) should not interfere with the safety and specifications of the requirements or standards of embedded energy generation, as this is best overseen by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and other regulatory bodies who often take their guide from other countries where the specifications for solar panels, generators, wind turbines and other systems have already been set.” Ronal Chauke, OUTA’s Energy Portfolio Manager said “The administration required by these draft rules is cumbersome and unnecessary. Government should work with its citizens to promote access to reliable energy rather than overburdening them with costs and administrative requirements.”

IN SOUTH AFRICA, THERE ARE NO OFFICIAL REGULATORY RULES ENFORCED BY THE GOVERNMENT THAT NEED TO BE ADHERED TO WHEN IT COMES TO PV SYSTEM INSTALLATIONS.

Homeowners installing solar energy systems must comply with the registration requirements applicable in certain areas, but official conformity codes regarding certain aspects of an installation do not currently exist. This could be a big problem. With specific South African PV industry regulation not yet in place, it is an unfortunate fact that many smaller “installers” are not adequately qualified and do not prescribe to any standards. This can lead to dangerous situations that can even lead to electrical fires. While there are compulsory wiring standards for general electrical installations, there is no dedicated national standard for PV installations yet. Ask your installer about the installation standards they follow.

The standards and quality management are driven by the industry and even quality assurance is achieved in this manner. You can also play an important part in ensuring that your PV system is true to the industry standards and requirements. Collecting as much information as you can about this aspect could save you a lot of heartaches when it comes to the safety and performance of your system. Let’s look at some rules and regulations that are being practiced by reputable installers.

At the core of every PV system is an electrical system that carries electricity generated by your PV panels to your wall outlets to be utilised in every electrical need that you might have. As such, installers should always. And when you are connected to the grid, you have the extra responsibility to ensure the grid is protected and not compromised by your PV system. Every electrical system has the risk of electrical shock, arcing, and fire when not correctly installed; your PV system is no different and installers should always follow the Electrical Installation Regulations of the OHS Act. The following errors should be avoided:
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​A world-first green submarine project will soon get underway after a proposal to power an autonomous underwater vessel with green hydrogen won a share of a United Kingdom £23 million funding program.

Start-up company Oceanways is to build a prototype of a zero emission submarine initially designed to deliver cargo in a twenty-foot container between Glasgow and Belfast. 

As the green submarines move underwater, they will also filter microplastics and microfibres out of the ocean, and collect information and data on ocean health and acidification via a number of onboard sensors. 

“Oceanways has assembled a world-class team to pioneer #SubZero by creating the new market of net positive underwater transport systems with zero-emission cargo submarines as an innovative tool to decarbonise shipping and clean up our ocean”, Oceanways founder and chief executive Dhruv Boruah said.
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The UK government is committed to commercialising zero emissions shipping by 2025 and establishing the country as a world leader in clean maritime.

Fifty-five projects shared in the first round of green maritime research and demonstration funding.
 
“As a proud island nation built on our maritime prowess, it is only right that we lead by example when it comes to decarbonising the sector and building back greener”, the UK’s transport secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement.

He said the projects funded “showcase the best of British innovation”.

The announcement was made during London International Shipping Week, which began with the UK calling on the maritime sector to achieve “absolute zero” emissions by 2050. 

In April, the UK government legislated new emissions targets, for the first time including the country’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions.

“Jet Zero and greener maritime” is one of the points in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution, unveiled in November last year. 

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If only South Africa would look to its available resources of sun and wind it may well be able to address its employment and energy problems.

This is according to several panellists who took part in a webinar, “Climate choice or climate challenge?”, hosted by Sanlam Investments.

Professor Guy Midgley, a climate scientist at Stellenbosch University, argued that a possible solution to the 44% unemployment rate in South Africa, the country’s failing energy system and the climate crisis is to transform South Africa’s energy systems.

Midgley said if thousands of South Africans were employed to build a new energy system this would sort out the country’s energy problems and contribute to the mitigation of the climate crisis.

“We seem to be ignoring all this as an opportunity; we have plenty of renewable energy in this country which we can convert to usable energy,” he said.

Midgley said the migration of people into cities is a tremendous opportunity to clean up the system and make it more efficient.

“Population is not the problem; the problem is overconsumption based on a very dirty energy system. The World Economic Forum has highlighted a study done by Harvard University where they showed that it is possible to shift the entire world’s system to renewable energy by 2050. One of those papers looks at sub-Saharan Africa and it said it is possible just beyond 2030 to shift the entire sub-Saharan Africa to renewable energy. 

“This is an opportunity – we know how to do it, we are just not taking it,” Midgley said.

Another panellist, Ramez Naam, the co-chair for energy and environment at Singularity University, said one of the challenges that Eskom faces is that there is no growth in sales of its product.

“Embracing electric vehicles will give them a new source of demand for electricity and that increases electricity sales. It is what will allow them to buy down their debt and become a more sustainable company,” he said.

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Researchers from the Monash Energy Institute have created a longer-lasting, lighter, more sustainable rival to the lithium-ion batteries by simply adding a spoonful of sugar to address inherent stability issues.

In theory, lithium-sulfur batteries could store up to five times more energy than lithium-ion batteries of the same weight; the problem is in their useful life. Lithium-sulfur batteries, which are also lighter and cheaper than today’s models, maybe the next generation of power cells that we use in electric cars or mobile phones – if scientists can get them to last for longer.

The problem is – as the positive sulfur electrode suffers from substantial expansion and contraction during charging, it is subject to significant stress and quickly deteriorates. And the negative lithium electrode becomes contaminated by sulfur compounds.

Last year, a team of researchers at Monash University in Melbourne demonstrated that they could open the structure of the sulfur electrode to accommodate expansion and make it more accessible to lithium. Now, the team introduced a sugar-based additive into the web-like architecture of the electrode to stabilize the sulfur, preventing it from moving and blanketing the lithium electrode.

The breakthrough stems from a 1988 geochemistry report that describes how sugar-based substances resist degradations in geological sediments by forming strong bonds with sulfides.

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The experimental cell prototypes have shown 97% sulfur utilization with a cycle life of 1000 cycles and capacity retention of around 700 mAh per gram after 1000 cycles.

“So each charge lasts longer, extending the battery’s life,” says the first author of the study and Ph.D. student Yingyi Huang. “And manufacturing the batteries doesn’t require exotic, toxic, and expensive materials.“

According to the researchers, thanks to the sugar-based additive, their technology has the potential to store two to five times the energy of today’s lithium batteries. They are hoping to use the technology to enter the growing market for electric vehicles and electronic devices.

“While many of the challenges on the cathode side of the battery has been solved by our team, there is still need for further innovation into the protection of the lithium metal anode to enable large-scale uptake of this promising technology – innovations that may be right around the corner,” said Dr. Mahdokht Shaibani, second author and Monash researcher.

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The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, says his department is planning to announce the preferred bidder for the procurement of 2 600 megawatts of renewable energy under Bid Window 5 by the end of next month. 

The Minister said this when Ministers in the Economics Cluster responded to oral questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday. 

“The department is in the process of procuring a further 6 800 megawatts of renewable energy. From this proposal, 2 600 megawatts will be under Bid Window 5, which is being evaluated, with the preferred bidder announcement planned for the month of October 2021. 

“The remainder of the 6 800 megawatts capacity is planned for procurement before the end of March 2022,” the Minister said. 

To date, the department has completed the procurement of 6 422 MW of renewable energy.  

Through four bidding rounds, as at the end of June this year, 5 422 megawatts is already connected to the grid and is part of the energy supply. 

Mantashe said renewable energy now accounts for just under 10% of electricity supply, with the country still heavily reliant on Eskom.

“In line with the Integrated Resource Plan 2019, additional renewable energy capacity will be released to Eskom and municipalities as and when requested, when requests for Section 24 determination are received. 

“The biggest allocation for new generation capacity to be developed between now and the year 2030 is renewable energy. 

“The Integrated Resource Plan 2019 provides for 14 400 megawatts of additional wind power, 6 000 megawatts of additional solar power and 2 088 megawatts of battery storage. 

Renewable energy a necessity to the economy 

Mantashe said, meanwhile, that one of the issues that need to be considered about renewable energy is that while it is expensive technology to be introduced, it is necessary to do so, as it contributes to economic growth. 

“What we should always take into account is that renewable energy is relatively new technology in South Africa and if you look at Bid Window 1, 2, 3, and a little bit of Bid Window 4, one of the issues was that it was expensive to build renewable energy. 

“But I always argue that that was a subsidy for introducing technology that was necessary in the economy. 

“Therefore, it was not a cost, rather that it was a premium paid for introducing technology to the economy.” 

Mantashe said the second inhibiting factor is the fact that the components of building renewable energy are manufactured outside of South Africa. 

“That’s inhibiting, as it does not give South Africans optimal benefits of the technology and lastly, it is the fact that it is still dominated by foreign companies. We have a responsibility of ensuring that there is an increased participation of South Africans in the technology.” 

To combat high costs, Mantashe said his department is working towards localising the manufacturing of renewable energy components in the country, which is expected to lead to job creation.

“The department is working with business, labour and community representatives to develop localisation and industrial plans that will make it possible for us to attract investment and develop local manufacturing capacity. 

“Analysis of the potential jobs in renewable energy shows that large numbers of jobs will be created during the manufacturing and construction phase. It is crucial for us as a country to maximise economic opportunities that come with the planned power generation capacity,” Mantashe said.  – SAnews.gov.za  

The Photovoltaic (PV) market has always been an exciting one. The growth and new solar power technology developed has left even the biggest sceptic thinking twice about the opportunities that will arise and the goals that will be achieved by this amazing technology. In a world where Eskom has left us disappointed and in financial trouble time and time again, PV has been a way out of the sticky situations created by our utility provider. South Africa has adopted solar with such vigour primarily due to the country’s overburdened and monopolised energy infrastructure. And the innovation and development of this technology is a very exciting thing to observe and be a part of. In this article, I will look a bit closer at new PV technology and what could be possible in the future.

Less than 2% of the world’s electricity has come from solar power, but new inventions are likely to change that. 

You might think that vast, arid deserts are the perfect place to install solar farms. After all, desert sunlight is intense and you rarely have to worry about clouds. Plus, there is plenty of wide-open space. But there is one problem – solar panels don’t do well with heat. Solar panels work most efficiently at temperatures below 25°C. This is because when solar panels get hot, the electrons pick up that extra energy from their environment, which puts them in a more excited state. And when they are already excited, they have less room to absorb energy from the sun. They work best in moderate climates where, unfortunately, it can sometimes be hard to find the space to set up a giant field of solar panels.

But since the 2000s, countries around the world have been implementing what seems to be a win-win solution. A system called agrivoltaics. In agrivoltaics, solar panels get installed over crop fields. That way there is no need to clear extra space just for the panels. On top of that, the crops help keep things cool as they release water through their leaves. The release of water works just like sweating – evaporating water removes heat from a plant, which brings down the plant’s temperature and also cools the surrounding area. So they keep an optimal environment for panels to work noticeably more efficient.

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Satteins, Austria, Sept. 9, 2021. The Austrian expert in PV mounting solutions AEROCOMPACT has developed a new support system for solar power systems on sandwich panels. The patented racking system is the first solution on the market that neither stresses nor damages the panels as it transfers all compressive and tensile forces directly into the roof’s substructure. At the heart of the racking solution from the COMPACT METAL modular system is the 5.8-meter TR74 support rail, which has been available since August.

With its new racking solution, AEROCOMPACT has solved an industry-wide problem: Until now, installers mostly attached PV systems to sandwich panels by screwing the substructure directly to the top layer of the panels with thin sheet metal screws. However, the interaction of forces caused by snow and wind can permanently damage the top layer in the long run, leading to leaks, detachment of the outer shell and a resulting “static ambiguity.” Indeed, manufacturers of sandwich panels report large-scale damage to building roofs.

Thanks to AEROCOMPACT’s new support system, the rail does not rest directly on the roof, but is connected directly to the purlin below with self-drilling support screws. The PV substructure is supported entirely on it. Therefore, no compressive or tensile forces from wind or snow are introduced into the sandwich panels. “The span of the 5.8-meter long support rail is unique, and the introduction points can absorb very high forces,” explains Marco Rusch, Group Head of Corporate Communications at AEROCOMPACT.

Spacer sleeves and additional supports guarantee that the distance between the rail and the roof is maintained evenly, thus ensuring good rear ventilation. A pre-assembled sealing rubber prevents moisture from entering the raised beads. A patented static algorithm regulates the optimal distribution of the support points on the roof in the AEROCOMPACT planning software.

Panel manufacturers are enthusiastic

“Leading manufacturers of sandwich panels are enthusiastic about our construction design,” Rusch is pleased to report. He explains, “Usually, PV systems are mounted directly on the roof panels with sheet metal screws, which means compressive and tensile forces act on the panels and damage them. With our design, damage is almost impossible.”

For this reason, no approvals or additional verifications from the manufacturers are required for installation, which also makes retrofitting solar power systems in particular much easier. Thus, solar power systems can even be installed with the innovative mounting system on roofs where neither the condition nor the panel manufacturer is known. “Because the roof substructure absorbs all the forces, it is irrelevant which panels were installed and what forces they can withstand,” explains Rusch.

Planning load distribution

AEROCOMPACT has integrated the fastening solution – which is suitable for wood, steel and aluminum purlins – into AEROTOOL, its in-house planning tool. There, planners can find automatisms for optimal load distribution. The assembly system has been approved by a federal certification institute. AEROCOMPACT comes with a 25-year warranty.

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Sales to Eskom or a municipal distributor would also have to follow a procurement process within Eskom or the municipality.

Previously the IPP Office of the DMRE has been used to procure long term PPAs for Eskom through IPP bid processes and indications are that this will continue to be used. A fifth round of the Renewable Energy IPP process is presently underway by the IPP Office. The IPP Office REIPP page can be accessed here.

In future electricity sales to ‘Eskom’ will made directly to the National Transmission Company which it has been announced will be unbundled from Eskom by the end of the year.

Various municipalities have recently announced an intention to procure new generation capacity from IPPs. The Western Cape government has recently released a Request for Information regarding supply of renewable energy to municipalities in the province. The Western Cape RFI can be accessed here.

What is the timing on implementing this?

The exemption has been gazetted and is effective immediately. However, two things appear to be outstanding:

NERSA still needs to release an updated registration procedure as the current procedure is specifically directed at ‘small-scale’ embedded generators up to 1MW. These are likely to be similar for 100MW facilities. The existing rules can be accessed here.
The wheeling framework and charges that Eskom will apply need to be clearly accessible and should be capable to implementation without lengthy one-on-one negotiations with Eskom. The Eskom webpage regarding wheeling of energy (eskom.co.za) indicates that bilateral engagements are presently required for wheeling and also that NERSA is still developing a national framework for use of system charges.

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IT has been a difficult few years for South African fuel retailers. The market has been shrinking since 2016, and COVID-19 has accelerated this trend. Alongside a slowdown in economic activity as a result of national lockdowns, lifestyles have changed. More people working from home and increased computing and network penetration mean less traveling. This suggests that even as economies begin to recover, demand for fuel is likely to lag.

Since the price of fuel is regulated, and retailers are given a fixed cents-per-litre margin, it’s a volume-driven business, and reduced demand is making it tough for fuel retailers. So, what can they do to cut costs and become more self-sufficient?

One option is to embrace advances in energy technology. The rise of fuel retail has come with increasing demands on energy supplies. Refrigeration, in particular, is an energy-hungry process. But fuel retailers and forecourt operators in South Africa face two acute challenges in this regard: high energy costs, and low energy certainty.

Electricity is expensive, and its supply uncertain. In addition to load shedding, many areas are structurally power constrained, and an aging infrastructure continues to add pressure to the grid. South Africans have lived with this reality for many years, and retailers of all types have invested in diesel generators. But they are costly, noisy and inefficient.

Grid-tied solar systems are simple, comprising nothing more than solar panels and an inverter linked to the municipal electrical grid. The panels convert sunlight into useable alternating current when it’s available. They aren’t connected to batteries, and so switch back to the municipal grid at night or when the sun is obscured. During the day they can easily produce enough energy to power fuel pumps, a retail store and an administrative backend.

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Capital investment of R500 000 to R1 million in these types of systems will typically allow an owner to save 30-50% of their energy costs. This coupled with incentives such as the Section 12B tax benefit, which allows for the tax deductibility of certain assets used in the production of renewable energy, means that payback periods are shorter than ever before. Regulations have also relaxed, and suppliers of these systems will be able to guide purchasers through the process of registering with municipal grids, and with health and safety requirements.

The worldwide shift towards electric vehicles (EVs) and other alternative fuel technologies is slow but accelerating rapidly.

More alternative-fuel vehicles on the roads will place demands on fuel retailers; some obvious and some less so. Batteries will be required to address spikes in demand, especially in the first phases of electrical vehicle adoption, and provision made for LNG or hydrogen fuelling capacity where warranted. But charging an electric vehicle is not like pouring petrol into a tank. It takes time: Tesla’s most powerful chargers, the 150 kW Supercharging stations, take 30-40 minutes to charge today’s Tesla Model S to 80% capacity.

Forecourts will increasingly be built to accommodate longer visits, becoming convenience hubs where refuelling is offered as one service amongst many. Shopping, entertainment, and pick-up services (such as online retailer lock boxes) will proliferate. Your children will play while you work and your EV charges. Partnerships with retailers, restaurants, and quick-service food chains will be key to developing convenience ecosystems, and they’ll all be tied together through digital networks and associated payment and reward schemes.

The forecourt of the future will probably look remarkably different. For owners and operators, preparing for this future begins with taking a clear-headed look at their current energy circumstances. An appraisal of energy cost and availability allows them to take control over these variables, giving them an advantage when planning for the continued sustainability and cost effectiveness of their businesses.

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Coal continues to dominate the South African power supply, contributing 81.8% to the total energy mix in first half of 2021, while contribution from renewable energy sources totalled almost 11% (solar PV, wind, hydro, concentrating solar power, others) and zero-carbon energy sources contributed 14.3% (renewables and nuclear).

This is according to research conducted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) published in its “Statistics of utility-scale power generation in South Africa 2021” report, focusing on the first half of 2021.

The report is based on data originally published by Eskom, which includes insights provided on technology-specific daily, weekly and monthly electricity production, as well as flexibility needs of the national power system.

The report notes SA has been gradually adding utility-scale wind, solar PV and CSP for years, increasing the installed capacity from 467MW in 2013 to 5 324MW by the end of June 2021. This includes 2 613 of wind, 2 211 of solar PV and 500MW of concentrating solar power added during the first half of the year alone.
According to the report, SA was plunged into 650 hours of load-shedding in 1H-2021 (15% of the time) wherein 963GWh of estimated energy was shed (mostly stage two load-shedding), as an additional coal unit at Kusile power station entered into commercial operation.

This is 76% of the total load-shedding experienced during 2020.

Last year, renewable energy contributed 10% to the total national energy over the 12-month period.

“By the first quarter of 2021, SA had 52.6GW of wholesale/public nominal capacity. The electricity mix is dominated by coal-fired power generation, which contributed 83.5% to system demand in the period,” says the report.

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“In 1H-2021, the variable renewable energy fleet of 5.3GW (wind, solar PV, CSP) reduced peak demand slightly, but more importantly, reduced high demand hours by 65%. Flexibility needs were not yet significantly increased with the existing variable renewable energy fleet in 1H-2021.”

For years, industry pundits have been touting renewable as the answer to SA’s ongoing energy crisis.

While SA has a heavy reliance on coal resources, governments across the globe have been introducing new frameworks to help combat climate change by enforcing the reduction of the amount of fossil fuels emitted by firms.

In an effort to resolve SA’s energy supply shortfall and reduce the risk of load-shedding, president Cyril Ramaphosa last month announced government will increase the National Energy Regulator of South Africa licensing threshold for embedded generation projects from 1MW to 100MW. This would allow companies to produce their own electricity without a licence.

The move was hailed by the renewable energy sector as it also opens up opportunities for intensive energy users like mines to generate their own electricity; the previous licensing requirements were limiting and cumbersome for end-users.

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