After months of rolling power cuts, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a state of national disaster.

South Africa’s state-owned power company Eskom, which produces 90 per cent of the country’s electricity, is beleaguered with old and poorly maintained coal-fired power plants prone to breakdowns. It’s also around €23.7 billion in debt.

As demand outpaces supply, there have been scheduled blackouts - known as ‘load shedding’ - for up to 12 hours a day, impacting the lives and livelihoods of 60 million South Africans.

The nation is still largely dependent on fossil fuels, with only 7 per cent of its energy coming from renewables in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency.

So what does Ramaphosa’s announcement last week mean exactly, and could it hasten South Africa’s clean energy transition as well as resolve the immediate crisis?

What is a National State of Disaster?
The president has the power under the 2002 National Disaster Management Act to declare a crisis on this level if existing legislation cannot deal with the problem.
This gives the government powers to release resources to tackle the disaster, appoint people to provide emergency services and to bypass existing laws in the procurement and delivery of goods and services.
A cabinet member then oversees the process, heading up an intergovernmental committee to mitigate the disaster through co-ordination between national, provincial and municipal bodies and the National Disaster Management Centre. 

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Demand for FPV panels will be driven by the fact that FPV panels’ installation doesn’t require colossal land areas and the FPV projects are cost-efficient.

Market research company, Global Industry Analysts Inc. (GIA), has published a new market study on floating solar panels or floating photovoltaics (FPV), which are also known as floatovoltaics, which shows that the market is set to reach 4,8GW by 2026, from the current 1,6GW as of 2021.

The report titled “Floating Solar Panels – Global Market Trajectory & Analytics” shows that demand for FPV panels will also be driven by the fact that FPV panels’ installation doesn’t require colossal land areas and the FPV projects are cost-efficient.

FPVs float on water and an embedded solar tracker follows the sun’s movement and places the solar panel to increase the time of exposure to sunlight and enhance the complete efficiency of the FPV system. Moreover, floatovoltaics allow low maintenance and management costs and remove the requirement for costly land areas, which considerably decreases the cost of generating solar power and frees up the land.
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The water-based PV systems are beneficial in several aspects such as reduced algae growth and evaporation. Floatovoltaics additionally reduce PV’s operating temperature and costs of generating solar energy. As the water bodies are generally government-owned, it is easy to obtain permits for water bodies compared to land. Furthermore, FPVs provide shade assisting the algae to bloom and reducing water evaporation, and although power generation on individual sites is not equal to ground mounts, the FPVs are suitable for the cities having a limited roof or land space.

Markets with the most potential for floating solar
FPV panel projects are possible to set up on unused water bodies, which are anticipated to be the prime driving factor for the FPV panels’ market growth. Countries like India, China, Germany, the USA, and Japan emerged as solar powerhouses, and the growing solar energy-based electricity production, in turn, boosted the market growth of FPV panels. The US has over 24,000 water bodies that are man made which are anticipated to be useful in FPV development, as man-Made water bodies are easy to manage and have infrastructure and roads in place. 
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Our new member, Eastman Power, is diversifying to service Southern Africa.

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Prospective agents/distributors are welcome to enquire about our services and/or products.

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Solar panels that are 35% efficient may be just a few years away.

In 1961, William Shockley and Hans-Joachim Queisser calculated that the maximum theoretical efficiency of a silicon-based solar panel is 30%. In other words, less than a third of the sunlight that strikes a solar panel can be turned into electricity.

Today, only high-end solar panels intended for use in spacecraft get near that maximum efficiency limit. Those panels are far too expensive for normal commercial use. The average panels used on rooftops and in solar farms are much less expensive, but have an efficiency of around 22%.

The problem is that silicon only responds to certain wavelengths, particularly those in the red and yellow portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Longer light waves in the infrared part of the spectrum are too weak to create an electrical current. Shorter light waves in the blue and green part of the spectrum don’t create any electrical current when they strike the silicon in a solar cell — at most, they bounce off. At worst, they generate heat, which degrades the efficiency of panels.

A Bright Idea Becomes A New Business
In 2014, Akshay Rao and a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge had a bright idea. What if there was a way to convert those blue and green light waves into red light waves? That would boost the efficiency of a solar panel to around 35% — roughly 50% more than the conventional solar panels in use today. Can you image what that would mean to the world of renewable energy?
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The University of Cambridge took that idea and used it as the basis of a new technology company known as Cambridge Photon Technology. Here’s how it works, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

“Rao developed a photon multiplier film made up of a layer of an organic polymer called pentacene studded with lead selenide quantum dots — small, light emitting clumps of inorganic material. The polymer absorbs blue and green photons and converts them into pairs of excitons. These excitons flow to the quantum dots, which absorb them and emit lower energy red or infrared photons.

“When the film is placed on top of a silicon solar cell, the light from the quantum dots shines onto the silicon. Meanwhile, the red and infrared wavelengths directly from the sun pass through the polymer film and hit the silicon as they normally would. The result is that more usable photons strike the silicon, increasing production of electrical current.”

“You’re preserving the total energy that comes in and out, but you’re making the silicon receive a higher photon flux in the portion of the spectrum that it’s good at converting into electricity,” Wilson says.

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Fossil fuels dominate the world’s energy generation, but research shows that solar energy is now cheaper than coal.

The study found that electricity from solar generation is approximately 63% cheaper per megawatt-hour (MWh) than fossil fuels, and according to the World Energy Outlook for 2021, solar photovoltaic and wind power are the cheapest sources of new electricity generation.

The cost of electricity from coal dropped $2 (R31) per MWh between 2009 and 2019, while prices associated with the generation of solar power decreased by 89% over the same period.

In 2009, electricity generated from solar sources cost $359 (R5,503) per MWh. By 2019, costs had dropped to $40 (R613) per MWh.

Interestingly, the price of electricity from nuclear generation increased over the ten years.

This raises the question: Why has the cost of electricity from solar generation dropped so sharply compared to fossil fuels?

For coal and nuclear power, the cost depends mainly on two factors — the price of the fuel burnt and the plant’s operating costs.

Solar power running costs are comparatively low and there are no fuel costs. Therefore, the major driver of solar power generation costs is the technology itself.

For electricity from solar power generation to become more affordable, the price of solar modules first had to reduce, which only occurred as more of them were produced and manufacturers reached economies of scale.
Phase 1 of Solar Capital’s De Aar Solar Farm, the biggest solar farm in Southern Africa
While it is probable that this would have occurred naturally as improvements to the production process would have been discovered over time, the global push towards adopting renewable energy generation is likely to have accelerated enhancements to the manufacturing process.

From there, a positive feedback cycle helped drive down costs.

An increase in demand for solar modules resulted in more being deployed. In turn, this caused prices to fall, creating more demand.

Our World in Data reported the findings of a study by de La Tour et al., which showed that the price of solar modules had reduced by 99.6% since 1976.

The 2013 study used experience curve models to predict what the cost of solar modules would be in 2020.

“With each doubling of installed capacity the price of solar modules dropped on average by 20.2%,” the report stated.

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​A solar carport isn't just a carport with solar panels installed on top of it; it's a carport with solar panels built into it. It's essentially a ground-mounted array of solar panels tall enough to park a car under.

Solar carports are easier to install than a rooftop solar system because they don't sit on an existing roof. This makes them less expensive and even something that can be done as a do-it-yourself project, assuming you have the requisite skills and the aid of someone with an electrician's license.

Solar Carport or Solar Canopy?
"Solar carport” and “solar canopy” are often used interchangeably. Treehugger defines a solar canopy as a larger structure covering a commercial parking lot, service stations, public electric vehicle stations, and other large-scale operations. We use "solar carport" to describe a smaller-scale project covering only 1-3 vehicles, such as in a residential setting.

Benefits of a Solar Carport
Our cars sit idle for 90% of the time, and the places we put them occupy a great deal of space. In cities, about 40% of all paved areas are taken up by exposed parking areas. Paving over a portion of your property for no other reason than to park an idle vehicle is an investment that gets little in return. Solar carports provide a number of benefits, only some of them financial.
Extra Power
The most obvious advantage is the extra power solar carports provide. Whether in a business setting or a residential one, solar carports can be used to charge electric vehicles, or they can be used in combination with a battery backup system, increasing a home's resilience during power outages and allowing homeowners to reduce their electricity bills.

Commercial Benefits
Especially in commercial zones, where real estate is costly, it makes sense for businesses to cover their parking spaces with solar carports. Not only do they provide shade and shelter for their customers' or employees' vehicles, but they generate electricity for their business, resulting in significant savings.

Businesses and industries can also reduce their carbon emissions or earn income by generating renewable energy credits (RECs), which can be sold to other industries seeking to offset their emissions.

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Mitigating Heat Islands
Uncovered pavement contributes to the creation of heat islands, where daytime temperatures can be 1–7 degrees F higher than temperatures in surrounding areas. This exacerbates the dangers of rising global temperatures, especially for people more likely to suffer from heat exposure, such as the elderly, young children, and low-income communities.

Installing carports at residences or over commercial parking lots can reduce the stress of reflected heat by absorbing solar radiation and converting it into usable energy.
Better Sun Exposure
Being mounted on a frame means the solar panels on a carport can be angled to maximize their exposure to the sun, rather than have to comfort the pitch and angle of an existing roof. While an east-west facing roof may not have sufficient exposure to merit the cost of a solar installation, a free-standing carport can be installed at any angle. And depending on its height, a solar carport can take advantage of solar trackers, which allow the panels to follow the sun throughout the day.
Easier Maintenance
Like other ground-mounted panels, a solar carport is more accessible and easier to maintain than a rooftop system. It is easier to clear snow or debris from them and to periodically wash them with water—without the need to climb on a sloped roof. Should a homeowner's roof need repair for any reason, there are no panels that need to be removed in order to make the repairs.

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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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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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President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that government will lift the threshold for embedded generating electricity capacity from 1MW to 100MW, allowing households and businesses to privately build much bigger self-generating power.

“We are today announcing a significant new step in further reforming our electricity sector towards achieving a stable and secure supply of energy,” Ramaphosa said.

The president said that the increase to the embedded generating capacity threshold will be crucial in developing a response to the energy crisis that is ambitious, bold, and urgent.

“The amended regulations will exempt generation projects up to 100MW from the NERSA licencing requirement, whether or not they are connected to the grid,” stated Ramaphosa.

He said that this will remove a significant obstacle to investment in embedded generation projects.

“Generators will also be allowed to wheel electricity through the transmission grid, subject to wheeling charges and connection agreements with Eskom and relevant municipalities.”

However, Ramaphosa said that generation projects will still need to obtain permits to connect to the grid.

An increase in the threshold required for licencing has been recommended by energy analysts for years.

Ramaphosa said that government identified energy security as the most important enabler of economic growth.

“There is no doubt that the prospect of a continued energy shortfall and further load-shedding presents a massive risk to our economy,” he stated.

“Our ability to address the energy crisis swiftly and comprehensively will determine the pace of our economic recovery.”

Ramaphosa said that resolving the energy supply and reducing the risk of load shedding was South Africa’s single most important objective in reviving economic growth.

The president stated that Eskom was working hard to improve the performance of its existing fleet of power stations despite all the challenges that it was currently facing.

However, while these steps were positive and necessary, they were not enough to address the immediate and significant energy shortfall that threatens South Africa’s economic recovery.re to edit.

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“Incremental measures will not be sufficient to meet the scale of this challenge,” Ramaphosa said.

“This intervention reflects our determination to take the necessary action to achieve energy security and to reduce the impact of load-shedding on businesses and households across the country.”

Ramaphosa stated that this move should be seen as evidence of the government’s intention to tackle the economic crisis head-on, by implementing major economic reforms that will transform the South African economy.

“It also demonstrates our commitment as government to listen carefully to experts, to engage closely with our social partners, and to take on board new ideas to address our long-standing challenges,” Ramaphosa said.

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