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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In this increasingly connected world, where everything from our coffee machines to our thermostats is becoming “smart,” it should come as no surprise that the IoT is starting to play a role in solar panel installation.

IoT— which stands for “the Internet of Things” — refers to any device that can connect to another device (such as a smartphone) via the internet. In other words, when you take an ordinary device and connect it to the internet, it gets an added level of intelligence that enables it to “communicate” in real-time with other devices.

The IoT has promising applications in solar energy generation, since it can mitigate the higher cost of maintenance and regulate power usage. Let’s see how solar solutions can be upgraded by IoT and how it can help you better manage your assets.

The integration of the IoT in a solar energy system 
To harness the IoT in renewable energy production, the generation, transmission, and distribution equipment are outfitted with smart sensors. This enables you to monitor and control the working of the equipment remotely via real-time connectivity.

A solar energy system for commercial use comes with some kind of monitor, which may be a physical monitor at your home or an app you can access online. Some providers don’t offer a monitoring service, in which case you can track solar energy production through the system’s inverter itself.

With a traditional sensor installed in the solar system, you can keep tabs on how your system is working, including your solar panels’ daily energy production. It also allows you to identify particular issues in your system should they crop up.

The IoT provides the same functions, but when your energy system is part of a massive network of similar devices, its newfound cognition improves the efficiency of the entire system. You can now automatically monitor and control a variety of elements in the system. 

The high-tech sensors collect and send large amounts of real-time data from energy meters and inverters which is then stored in the cloud. The data is processed and presented to you in the form of SMS notification, reports, alerts, mails, notifications and useful insights. 

Insights you can get from an IoT-connected solar energy system
The solar unit’s performance
Health of the PV panels, batteries, and overall system
Your energy usage
Actual vs. modeled energy production
The energy you supply to the grid
When and how you’re loading your system
System faults diagnostics
Predictive analytics
An IoT monitoring system will alert you as soon as anything goes wrong with your solar system. You don’t need to worry about issues going unnoticed as the installer will quickly diagnose and resolve any issues, which will reduce downtime. 

A final word about connectivity requirements
For a successful IoT enabled solar solution, it requires the availability of consistent internet connectivity. A wireless or fibre internet solution will serve as the backbone of the IoT features and functions, linking together all devices and systems. 

A high-speed, uncapped, low-latency internet connection is able to cope with big spikes of incoming data, making it the ideal fit for IoT purposes. This type of internet solution is less prone to poor network performance, which could cause you to miss important data indicating performance issues.

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​Mineral Resources and Energy minister Gwede Mantashe says that his department is working with the Department of Public Works to integrate renewable energy sources into government buildings.

Responding in a written parliamentary Q&A, Mantashe said the plan aims to mainly use solar photovoltaic systems and energy efficiency technologies.

“Already, funding has been secured and (a) programme business plan developed with energy audits of more than 20 government buildings audited in the current financial year.

“The programme is envisaged to achieve 4,200 GWh savings through the installation of solar PV systems and integration with energy-efficient technologies in public schools, military facilities, and office government buildings.”

Mantsahe said that the programme is aligned with the recently promulgated regulations on mandatory display and submission of energy performance certificates for buildings.

Some of the projects which have already completed solar energy generation include:

Makhado Air Force Base in Limpopo (195 kWp);
Alfred Nzo District in the Eastern Cape, (85 kWp);
Harry Gwala District in KwaZulu Natal, (96 kWp);
ILembe District in KwaZulu Natal (103 kWp);
Blouberg Local  Municipality in Limpopo; (65 kWp);
Kheis Local Municipality in Northern Cape (45kWp).

New regulations

This week, Mantashe published new embedded generation regulations for public comment, in a move that is expected to help limit the impact of load shedding.

The gazette effectively raises the threshold for embedded generation from 1MW to 10MW, providing businesses and private individuals more room to build their own electricity supply away from Eskom’s grid.

However, the gazette includes the proviso that private groups who plan to use this embedded generation will have to register with National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).

President Cyril Ramaphosa previously announced that government would look at increasing the embedded generation limit in his February 2021 state of the nation address.

“Recent analysis suggests that easing the licensing requirements for new embedded generation projects could unlock up to 5,000 MW of additional capacity and help to ease the impact of load shedding,” he said.

“We will therefore amend Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act, 2006 (Act 4 of 2006) within the next three months to increase the licensing threshold for embedded generation.

“This will include consultation among key stakeholders on the level at which the new threshold should be set and the finalisation of the necessary enabling frameworks.”

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​The development of the PV industry is a continuous pursuit of the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), especially at the critical moment of global energy transition, reducing cost and improving efficiency in relation to PV modules has
become an important way to reduce LCOE, which is usually achieved in two ways: continuous improvement in the cells’ conversion efficiency and module power output and constant decrease in the cost per watt of PV modules.
In recent years, PV power generation technology seems to be updated at a quicker pace, as evidenced by the faster-than-conventional speed in updating product technology. Especially since 2019, as driven by large-size silicon wafer technology, there have appeared various types of ultra-high-power modules, directly pushing up the most leading module power from 410W in 2019 to 445W in the first half of 2020 and further to 500W+ or even higher in the second half of 2020.
Read more in ​the Technical White Paper of JA Solar DeepBlue 3.0

This third article from the interview by Chris Yelland with André de Ruyter on 15 April 2020 covers Eskom’s response to climate change and the need for a just energy transition in South Africa towards a greener future.
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See here for the first and the second articles

With Eskom being the country’s largest emitter of CO2 through the burning of coal for power generation, what is Eskom doing to reduce its carbon footprint, what are the key ingredients for unlocking a just energy transition in South Africa, and what role should Eskom be playing in this transition?

I must stress that Eskom fully recognises the importance of climate change and the fact that it has a negative impact, not only on the world, but in particular on South Africa as well.

South Africa is a signatory to the Paris Agreement and, therefore, as a major emitter of greenhouse gasses, we need to contribute to global efforts to address climate change. But that implies there is going to be a very wrenching adjustment from an economy built on cheap coal and cheap energy to an economy that is far more resilient and far less reliant on carbon.

The structural underpinnings of our economy have not changed yet and we are not very well prepared for the energy transition that is underway globally. That does not mean we can resist the energy transition. I think we need to accelerate very quickly on this long road in order to catch up and take advantage of the latest developments in technology.

If you look at the cost curves for renewable energy, compared to those for fossil-based energy, it is clear the technology developments and affordability of renewable energy have been such that you cannot afford to ignore this. It is beyond any doubt that wind and solar energy will play a key role in our energy portfolio and mix going forward. But that does not mean we will be able to back out of coal overnight. 

This is going to be a long passage as we wind down our reliance on coal and, unfortunately, I think we will be a major coal consumer and hence a major emitter of greenhouse gasses and associated pollutants for some time.

We are now on the verge of retiring some of our older coal-fired power stations. This affords us the opportunity to consider repurposing them to natural gas and to use the vacant land around those power stations, where we can rehabilitate open-cast mines for solar or wind power generation.

These properties are now owned by Eskom to use and you may be aware that Eskom recently issued a request for expressions of interest and proposals for the repurposing of decommissioned coal-fired power stations, with a closing date of 10 June 2020.

Some may see old coal-fired power stations that have reached the end of their economic life, and are heavy emitters of carbon and also other pollutants, as a liability. We see these as potential assets and exciting opportunities that can be used to create a just transition.

These opportunities provide a future for communities that have helped develop this country and allowed us to benefit from mining and using coal for low-cost electricity generation for the last 60 years. We cannot just leave them in the lurch, leaving ghost towns and communities behind as festering political, social and economic wounds.

So, the call for expressions of interest and proposals on our website is an indication of the seriousness with which we take this repurposing. We believe that, if we do this right, we can also enable solutions to the significant decommissioning costs we would have to incur.

By extending the life of these power stations we can enable a just social transition and a just energy transition. At the same time, this will allow some of the private entities and communities that have expressed an interest in investing in these repurposed power stations to participate with us in public-private partnerships (PPPs).

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THE first phase of a 258 MW solar power complex has been completed in Upington. The facility, known as Sirius, has completed an 86 MW installation.
The project is part of a host of similar initiatives given the green light by the government to support the struggling power supply across the country.

Scatec Solar and its partners have announced that this connection is expected to produce 217 GWh and will lead to the abatement of more than 180 000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

“We are pleased to reach another milestone with the grid connection of our fourth solar power plant in South Africa, with a combined capacity of 276 MW. South Africa continues to be a very important market for Scatec Solar, and we are developing several interesting project opportunities both within the utility-scale segment as well as our container-based solar solution”, says Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar.

The company is an independent power producer that has a total of 1.9 GW of solar power across four continents.

Completion of the remaining 172 MW of the project is expected in the upcoming months, after being awarded the project in 2015.

According to MyBroadband, Sirius is one of 27 renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) projects which aim to add 2 300 MW to the Eskom grid and help deal with the national electricity crisis.

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A R1.2-billion solar farm project has been approved by the National Treasury, Kannaland municipal manager Reynold Stevens has confirmed.

Stevens announced the project during an oversight visit to the Garden Route district municipality on Wednesday, adding that it would be a public-private partnership between Kannaland Municipality and InnovSure to provide an alternative source of green energy to the municipality.

”This is a fantastic initiative as this investment will create job opportunities and the company will further invest R42 million per annum in the Kannaland Municipality for critical infrastructure projects and further assist the Municipality with smart technology,” said DA MPP Deidre Baartman.

“Government cannot tackle the country’s energy crisis on its own,” Baartman said.

“It is vital that we break down the national government’s monopoly on energy generation and provision, and bring in the private sector to diversify this industry as a matter of urgency.”

“The Kannaland solar farm is a prime example of this.”

Combatting load-shedding
During off-peak periods, the solar farm will also be able to draw energy from Eskom and store it for release later.

This power can be used to supplement shortages during peak hours and sent to nearby municipalities such as Mossel Bay.

“I will be monitoring this development closely to ensure that the Western Cape attains energy independence from Eskom to grow our provincial economy and create much needed jobs,” Baartman said.

The DA said it remains committed to cutting red tape and using innovation to grow its provincial economy and create jobs.

By Celine Paton, Senior Financial Analyst, at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS),
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Before discussing the potential of floating solar to the African continent, the advantages this
technology can bring and its current level of maturity, it is important to first set the stage on a global
scale and understand since when we are speaking about “floating solar” as an additional solution to
land-based (including rooftop) solar PV systems.
Whilst the exact debut of floating solar worldwide remains debatable, the advancement and
deployment of the technology emerged in Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea, from 2013
onwards. Although systems remained at first relatively small, commercial projects in the 1–3 MWp
range started emerging between 2013 and 2015, often built on irrigation reservoirs. Land scarcity,
which translated into high land acquisition costs and difficulty in obtaining land rights (or in converting
land earmarked for other purposes such as agriculture), pushed these two countries to find alternate
solutions to land-based solar PV projects, which benefited at the time from preferential feed-in tariffs
(FiTs).
After a few years, China rapidly came into the picture with significantly larger (around 8 MWp) floating
solar PV (FPV) systems, which started operating in 2015. Meanwhile pilots and small-scale projects
also emerged in Europe and elsewhere with various entrepreneurial companies launching innovative
designs, competing for higher energy output, easier maintenance, and costs reduction while keeping
quality, transportability and modularity as high as possible. In 2016, a 20 MWp floating solar plant was
built in China, the first large-scale project of many more to come, built on a coal mining subsidence
area, and tendered by the government under the Top Runner programme. Built on flooded coal mines,
these projects allowed reviving depleted areas and retraining/upskilling local communities, which
were previously largely dependent upon the coal mining industry. Other landmark floating solar
projects in 2016 were the 6.3 MWp Queen Elizabeth II and 2.9 MWp Godley systems, built on water
treatment reservoirs in the United Kingdom. From 2017 onwards, projects became larger, to even
reaching the record level of 150 MWp in China (also built on coal mining subsidence areas in the Anhui
and Shandong provinces), the two world’s largest floating solar projects completed to date. 

As shown in Figure 1 below, the last three years witnessed the global floating solar installed capacity
gaining significant momentum, mainly due to the advent of large projects in China. Whilst China still
holds the record in terms of project size, other countries are following suit and planning to build
sizeable floating solar projects, some even in the multiple hundreds of MW-scale, also making them
better candidate for non-recourse project financing. Just to name a few, South Korea is planning more
than 2 GWp of floating solar projects (to be built in various phases) at the Saemangeum Seawall dyke
on the coast of the Yellow Sea. 

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