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.
​
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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The heads of South Africa’s wind and solar industry bodies urged Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe on Tuesday to publish, without delay, the Ministerial determinations required to unlock the procurement of much-needed electricity capacity in line with the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2019), promulgated in October.

Addressing members of the National Press Club in Pretoria, South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) CEO Ntombifuthi Ntuli and South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) chairperson Wido Schnabel reported that their members had projects that could be implemented on an accelerated basis and in line with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) recent call for proposals that could be grid-connected in the “shortest time and at the least possible cost”.

The call was made in a request for information (RFI), the deadline for which is January 31, for supply and demand options to close what is at least a 3 000 MW capacity gap, but which a recent Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) report calculates could be as large as 8 000 MW. The CSIR also warns that the country’s energy shortfall, which was above 1 350 GWh in 2019 (the country’s worst-ever load-shedding year), could grow to nearly 2 000 GWh this year and peak at about 4 600 GWh in 2022.

A full month as been allocated for the evaluation of the RFI responses, after which an emergency procurement process is expected to be initiated.

SAWEA and SAPVIA believe that the RFI process should not hold back the implementation of the IRP 2019, however, and that the fifth bidding round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) should be launched in parallel, given both the crisis and that previous bidding rounds have typically required between 18 and 24 months to complete.

Lead times could be compressed in the next bidding round, owing to the fact that some 90 projects had already been identified in 2015 under the ironically named ‘expedited round’ – that round eventually expired after years of delay, precipitated by Eskom’s refusals to enter into new power purchase agreements (PPAs) with independent power producers (IPPs).

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Lighting manufacturer BEKA Schréder’s locally designed and manufactured solar street lights for outdoor residential and public applications provide a full customisable option to suit all off-grid solar lighting requirements.

BEKA Schréder marketing manager Grant Combrink says the BEKA Solar, combined with the Ziya luminaire, provides a reliable lighting solution with a high Ingress Protection (IP) level 65 that withstands high ambient temperatures and vandalism (IK10).

The Ziya luminaire range is a sustainable off-grid performer with a superior lumen or watt ratio.

Combrink notes that the photovoltaic process is optimised by efficient polycrystalline solar module technology to maximise solar energy.

“This, in turn, offers the best energy storage options and autonomy available on the market with our range of battery options, namely lead, lithium and the new SuperCapacitor. This SuperCapacitor removes the depth of discharge issues and offers extended life and discharge cycles,” he says.

Combrink explains that controlling the whole system and using the solar energy by programming the Maximum Power Point Tracking charge controllers protects and optimises the system from any internal and external factors, such as thermal environmental changes, when charging the batteries.

The BEKA Solar offers key advantages such as it being designed to operate reliably at a high light output over a 12- to 14-hour period.

It also has sufficient autonomy to cater for up to four continuous overcast or rainy days to continue its reliable night operation.

It has integrated solar components, it is theft and vandal resistant and specifically engineered for all geographical locations in Africa.

Lastly, various battery technologies are available to meet specific customer requirements.

The BEKA Solar offers a renewable lighting solution to cover a client’s geographical and application needs with extended lifetime and optimisation, he concludes.

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