The New Development Bank (NDB) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) have signed a $300-million loan agreement for the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction and Energy Sector Development project.

The NDB will provide the loan to the DBSA without a sovereign guarantee.
The loan will be in the form of a two-step loan and will be on-lent to the DBSA’s identified subprojects within the wind, solar and biomass energy sectors, in particular.

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction and Energy Sector Development project is designed to support renewable energy projects in South Africa and help the economy shift to a more sustainable energy path through structural transformation of the energy sector with emerging renewable technologies.

The objective of the project is to facilitate investments in renewable energy that will contribute to the power generation mix and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in South Africa, in line with the South African government’s Integrated Resource Plan and its target of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions as articulated in the National Development Plan 2030.

According to a statement issued on Monday, the project will bring significant developmental impacts through the subprojects, particularly related to environmental and social benefits from the reduction in CO2 emissions, the increase in generation capacity from renewable energy sources, and the increase in the efficiency of the energy sector in South Africa.

The project is also expected to contribute to unlocking private sector investment and increasing the availability of long-term funds for projects in the energy sector in the country.

The loan agreement was signed by NDB VP and COO Xian Zhu and DBSA CEO Patrick Dlamini during the fourth yearly meeting of the NDB in South Africa. 

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​South Africans have been urged to become more energy efficient by changing their usage behaviour and using complementary energy sources. 
"The CSIR advised South Africans to use only reputable suppliers and contractors registered with parent associations."

While the usage of alternative energy strategies can minimise the impact of load shedding or grid outages, they can also assist households to save money, energy experts from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said on Thursday.

They were briefing the media in Pretoria on how South Africans can alleviate the impact of load shedding.

Principal researcher Jarrad Wright said shifting electricity demand by using electricity at different times of the day and week can also help to save significantly on electricity use and monthly household electricity bills.

“Moving the use of electricity around to different times of the day or week can help the power system significantly.

“At the same time, we need to continue to install energy-efficient LED lighting, as well as energy efficient and smart appliances, such as fridges, washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers, while thinking of improving electric water geyser efficiency with geyser blankets and piping insulation,” said Wright.

Wright said households can also shift to alternative power sources such as clean-burning cookstoves, increased household braai and replacing electric geysers with a solar water heater.

The CSIR advised South Africans to use only reputable suppliers and contractors registered with parent associations. – SAnews.gov.za

Two energy experts have slated Eskom’s leadership, arguing that the Eskom board should be sacked and a new CEO with an engineering background and energy experience should be appointed.

Speaking to SABC News, energy expert Ted Blom said he has never seen a “bunch of amateurs” running a company as is the case with Eskom.

Blom said the current Eskom board has been in place for over a year, but the situation at the power utility is now worse than under the previous corrupt board.

“This board is ineffective, they do not have the necessary experience and the chairman is conflicted,” said Blom.

Blom said the ANC government employed people who do not know what is going on because it refuses to look outside of the party for people with the required skills to run Eskom.

He said the solution is to appoint an interim board consisting of people who used to run Eskom effectively until the problems are resolved.

Get a new CEO
Transform RSA President Adil Nchabeleng concurred with Blom, saying Eskom’s leadership had ample warning and time to resolve the problems at the power utility.

“Management is refusing to raise its head. The board has not spoken. The minister is nowhere to be found. No one knows what is going on,” said Nchabeleng.

He added that Eskom’s board is “chaired by a person who knows nothing about energy, who has admitted that he is not an energy expert”.

“The board should have by now been recused and a new board should have been appointed,” said Nchabeleng.

He said that an experienced CEO with a strong engineering background and understanding of the energy sector should have been appointed.

Source....

​While load-shedding is expected to continue plaguing South Africa for at least the next six months, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) energy systems senior engineer Joanne Calitz has also warned consumers to expect electricity prices to increase by about another 36% by 2021.

This is drawn from a comparison over the past decade, which has seen energy prices in the country skyrocket from about 85c/kWh in 2008, to an anticipated R1.16/kWh in 2021.

This, she added, is equal to an increase of about 300% from 2008 to 2018 alone.

"These tariffs are the average Eskom tariff. As a residential customer, you would be more accustomed to the price range of around R1.50/kWh to R2/kWh. What this would mean for you by 2021, is that it will be around R2.50/kWh. This really speaks to the affordability of electricity for households going forward,” she said.

Calitz highlighted, moreover, that in just the first three months of this year, load-shedding across the country had amounted to 769 GWh. This is just over half of what load-shedding amounted to in 2015, she added.

March has been the most load-shedding-intensive month thus far, she pointed out, accounting for 595 GWh of the total 769 GWh of load-shedding.

Meanwhile, South African consumers are struggling to survive amid increased inflation, including of fuel prices and electricity tariffs, and CSIR principal engineer Dr Jarrad Wright on Thursday provided some tips to help mitigate load-shedding, while also saving on costs.

Firstly, Wright said energy efficiency would help consumers use less electricity, and in effect save on paying for it, by investing in their households.

He suggested the use of light-emitting diode (LED) lights; electric geyser blankets and/or pipe insulation; air conditioning set-point changes; and the installation of energy efficient and smart appliances for an overall reduction in electricity use.

These methods are some of the cheaper and most environment-friendly options, he explained, noting that consumers could expect to pay between R50 and R80 per LED light in the household; while consumers could expect to pay between R3 000 and R10 000 per energy efficient or smart appliance.

While the latter is more expensive, it will have the biggest impact.

The cheapest option, Wright noted, would be to adjust the air conditioning set point, which would cost the consumer nothing.

However, should consumers not have capital available in the short term, Wright suggested that consumers consider moving the use of electricity around to different times of the day. This would, in turn, assist the power system.

As an example, Wright highlighted the use of a timer on an electric geyser and pool pump.

Further, simple behavioural changes, such as changing the time at which one cooks, cleans or does washing, would have a larger impact on relieving pressure on the national grid.

“By just changing simple behaviours [like these], it would significantly reduce morning and evening demand, which is when the system is the most constrained”.

Should capital be available to the consumer, another option would be for the consumer to invest in generating their own electricity, which can be achieved through standby generators, rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, inverters for batteries or a combination of all three.

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It’s a very late call for this next training event next week Tuesday. We do know that these weeks are the most busiest of the year. But we still want to run a ESS Training to help you in understanding and installing energy storage systems. It will be a half day where you will have all the specialists from BMZ, Victron and SMA in one session. Its worth your time!
 
Training: IBC Solar – ESS (Energy Storage Systems)  
Tuesday morning 2nd April at SARETEC, Cape Town with
Bjoern Schenk from BMZ
Andre du Rand from Victron
Stefan Steffens for SMA

8.15    Welcome
8.30    BMZ Li-Ion battery technology
9.15    Victron ESS with Multiplus 2      
10.15  Breakfast break
10.45  SMA ESS with Sunny Island
11.45 End
 
SIGN UP until Friday 29.03. register online using this link. Or copy this into your browser http://www.123formbuilder.com/form-4718505/copy-of-competence-center-techtraining
For any questions please contact Alex on alexander.joist@ibc-solar.com  
Your IBC Solar Team,
Daniel, Helga, Tersia, Andrew and Alex

Capstone is requesting senior expert CVs for anticipated energy consultancy (contract-based) sector work in Anglophone and especially Francophone Africa.  Experts may be African nationals or International Experts.

Project work might include delivering strategic, policy, technical and operational improvements to existing power utilities, strengthening/training utility personnel and systems, improving planning and coordination processes, and improving the regulatory and business climate. It might also include extending the existing grid, improving reliability, reducing losses, and improving customer service in the energy sector. Further, it can involve improving the business climate to facilitate access to debt or equity finance with the ultimate goal of making energy services and products available to a greater percentage of the population.

Depending on the position, some personnel may be based in: Senegal, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone. We are looking for energy sector professionals who can be available potentially already during 2019.

Qualifications
Typically at least a Master’s degree in relevant technical field with at least 10 years of experience in their specific domain, including in Africa.
Experience on Donor funded projects (World Bank, AfDB, KfW, DfID, etc) is advantageous.
Francophone experts must also be able to be able to work reasonably well in English with Anglophone colleagues.

We are looking for experts in
Energy Sector Reform
Legal & Regulatory Reform of the Energy Sector Utility management: strategy, financial, operational, technical, IT
Capacity building, training, organizational development, talent management
IPPs and PPPs
Business Enabling Environment
Renewable Energy
Energy Financing
Power pools and cross-border energy exchanges
Downstream oil and gas regulatory and market-building
Energy access, inc mini-grids
Energy sector monitoring and evaluation, data & knowledge management
Generation, transmission, distribution engineering and management experts
Energy sector project management and especially programme management

Please send CVs with brief statement of introduction to CAPSTONE & COMPANY at the following email:  Africa@Capstone.ltd

Energy Minister Jeff Radebe signalled his willingness on Tuesday to use his legislative powers to facilitate the introduction of private electricity supply alternatives that could reduce the threat of load-shedding by Eskom in the short- to medium-term.

Addressing the DLO Africa Power Roundtable Conference in Johannesburg, Radebe said he would consider attaching a short-term action plan to the longer-term generation blueprint that would be provided by the updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which is currently under consideration by the social partners at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).   

Responding to a question posed by Webber Wentzel partner Pulane Tshabalala Kingston on the prospect of unlocking near-term supply alternatives Radebe said: “As the Minister of Energy, empowered by the Electricity Regulation Act, I will do the necessary to ensure that, where it is possible, we bring these alternatives on board.”

He revealed, too, that he had even approached the Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office to seek its guidance on removing obstacles to the development of projects bid in 2015 as part of the so-called ‘Expedited Bid Window’ of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

Officially, the bid window had been cancelled and there was an expectation in the market that a new bid window, governed by new bid documents, would replace it. Potential participants have also indicated that the technical, financial and construction components of the bid would have to be revised in light of changes that had taken place since the projects were first bid.

However, Radebe appeared to open the door to the projects stating: “I have already spoken with the IPP Office, for example, about the expedited round and have asked then to remove any obstacles that still stand in the way so that we can move to closure of those projects.”

The Minister said that he would also consider signing deviation orders in instances where self-generation projects where being held up by red tape.

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A court application to have 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed between Eskom and 26 independent power producers (IPPs) in 2018 declare null and void has been dismissed with costs.

The legal challenge was initiated last year by the Coal Transporters Forum (CTF), a voluntary association made of 50 companies that transport coal to Eskom power stations. The respondents to the application included Eskom, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), Energy Minister Jeff Radebe and more than 30 IPPs.

The CTF asked the court to interdict the signing of the PPAs, which arose from Bid Window 4 of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

The PPAs were signed on April 4, 2018, following a three-year delay brought about by Eskom’s refusal, made public in 2016, to enter into new contracts with renewable energy IPPs, despite the fact that the projects had been legally procured by government in 2015.
​
In his March 26 ruling, High Court Judge Pieter Meyer said that the CTF’s contention that the projects had not received a generation licences from Nersa had no merit.

eyer also dismissed the CTF’s contention that Eskom was not entitled to conclude the PPAs with the IPPs until the regulator had pronounced on several other issues, ranging from the tariffs agreed in the PPAs to the terms and conditions contained in the PPAs.

“All the parties in the know – the regulator, Eskom and the IPPs – testify that the regulator has taken the decisions in questions. CTF offer no evidence to the contrary,” the judgment reads.

“Finally, it bears mentioning that the process and procedure in challenging and setting aside an administrative action is by means of legality review proceedings, or review proceedings under the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, and not proceedings wherein a party merely seeks that the contract concluded be set aside by a court of law or declared null and void,” Judge Meyer wrote.   Source.....

See also...   ​http://politicsweb.co.za/politics/dismissal-of-attempt-to-block-eskom-signing-on-ipp

CAPE TOWN - Agricultural association AgriSA says it’s been working towards introducing more solar-run farms in the country. The organisation is actively engaging with Eskom to minimise the impact of load shedding on the agricultural sector.

Chairperson of Economics and Trade, Nicol Jansen said 13 solar farms are already being built and connected to the grid but more can be done.
“We are trying to speed up the process with Eskom and Nersa (National Energy Regulator of South Africa) for those who are interested in building solar farms and who have access to capital. It is possible to get alternative energy but that is a long-term solution that is a high capital cost.”

Jansen said the entire country stands to benefit from the additional generating that will be available to the grid.
​
Source...

Advances in technology make small-scale solar systems more reliable, and they’re getting much cheaper.

Rapid advances in technology has pushed renewable energy sources from an expensive option that only environmentalists advocated to an economically viable alternative worldwide.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) says in a recent study that the cost of renewable energy sources like wind and solar continue to fall drastically and will start to become cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020.

Irena based its research on the cost of new and completed projects worldwide. While solar projects are still relatively expensive in comparison to hydro power, onshore wind and geothermal sources, the cost of solar plants has dropped by more than 70% since 2010 and continues to fall, says the report. “Auction prices [tender prices in SA] for photovoltaic projects have reached a record low per kWh (kilowatt hour] in Dubai, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Canada and Germany. By 2020, all renewable power generation technologies that are now in use are expected to be comparable with fossil fuel, with most at the lower end of the range or undercutting fossil fuel.”

The lower prices of solar systems due to technological advances and more competition in the solar industry globally has resulted in a big drop in the capital cost to install a solar system for a small business or a household in SA too. Meanwhile, Eskom’s slow decline motivated people to look for alternatives.​

Peter Bergs, managing director of Specialized Solar Systems, says demand for solar installations has increased significantly in the last few years. “More and more businesses are installing photovoltaic solar systems to reduce their energy cost. In addition, it gives them back-up power during power failures.”

He says demand for residential installations has also increased sharply during the last two years as electricity prices have increased, while the cost of solar systems has fallen dramatically and the effectiveness of new generating technology has improved tremendously. “We are receiving a lot more enquiries lately because of the recent wave of load-shedding,” he adds.

The cost of off-grid solar installations has decreased significantly over the last 10 years, with the prices of some components falling nearly 70%, according to Specialized Solar Systems’ website.

“The price of solar panels has decreased to around R5 per watt generating capacity compared to between R11 and R12 per watt 10 years ago,” says Bergs. This means that a 100-watt solar panel costs some R500 today compared to R1 200 in 2008.

Inverters – the heart of a solar system that converts 12 volt direct current to 220 volt alternating current to run household appliances – have also decreased in price, while their capacity, quality, effectiveness and features have improved significantly. For instance, most modern pure sine wave inverters are cheaper than the older modified sine wave inverters, and even cheaper than the bigger and bulkier square wave inverters of years ago.

Modern inverters combine charging controllers, battery management, seamless switch-over from different power sources and computerised operation in one compact unit. Good quality inverters produce pure, stable electricity without dips and surges, which results in electrical and electronic appliances working better.

Read more......