Published on October 31st, 2009
Eskom, the South African state owned electricity generator, recently announced that it has budgeted a billion dollars over the next ten years for a demonstration and pilot concentrated solar power (CSP) plant. However, moving from budget to implementation is proving more difficult!
Why Concentrated Solar Power
Two of the widely used alternatives for collecting the suns energy are the concentrated solar power (CSP) plant where sunlight is focussed on a receiver in which a circulating working fluid is heated and used as the heating media for a conventional power station and the photo voltaic (PV) plant where sunlight is converted directly into electrical energy. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on October 25th, 2009
The South African government and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) have signed an Memorandum Of Understanding to develop a plan, before year end, to establishment a Solar Park in the Northern Cape.
If the black areas above were covered with PV panels, it would provide all the world’s energy needs.
The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) is convinced that the contribution of solar energy to the world’s energy needs is about to boom. It is already developing projects in India, Australia and in the South Western States of the US. Now it is co-operating with the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) to develop a Solar Park in the Northern Cape that would speed up South Africa’s uptake of renewable energy. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags:
CCI,
Clinton Climate Initiative,
Department of Minerals and Energy,
DME,
industrial environment,
northern Cape,
pv. photovoltaic,
shared facilityes,
solar energy,
solar energy park,
solar insolation,
solar park,
South Africa
Published on October 6th, 2009
One hundred and twenty Euros ($175 million) has been made available to fund renewable energy and efficiency improvement projects of small and medium sized businesses in South Africa.
The funding
French development bank Agence Française de Développement (AFD) announced, at the end of September 2009, that it would be extending a €120-million credit facility to commercial banks in South Africa, to be used for smaller energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
South African banks Absa, Nedbank and the Industrial Development Corporation are to distribute the credit as loan capital for the projects of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Read the rest of this entry »
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Absa,
AFD,
Agence Française de Développement,
carbon toof,
energy efficiency,
IDC,
Industrial Development Corporation,
renewable energy,
Small and Medium Enterprises,
SME,
SMMS,
South Africa,
Standard Bank
Published on September 25th, 2009
Another renewable energy business that could get South Africa moving towards its goals is taking shape in Richards Bay in KwaZulu Natal.
The History
After South Africa speedily set up a renewable energy strategy the focus moved to ethanol and biodiesel with the involvement of large companies including SASOL.
First to falter was ethanol, where Ethanol Africa had actually started site works for its plant in Bothaville, when government got cold feet about using maize, the staple food of the poor of South Africa, to power cars.
Later the world food crisis lead to the Food for Fuel debate and an effective halt to the promotion of biofuels from agricultural production. There were also other smaller and less legitimate operations such as a franchise scheme based on low cost imported palm oil and even algal processing that turned out to have been “demonstrated” using scum from the farm dam!
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Published on September 20th, 2009
Dairy farm anaerobic lagoons without covers
The first large scale biogas plant linked to a beef feedlot, could make a more significant contribution to renewable energy in South Africa than the planned 3.8 MW of electricity, by advancing the technology in South Africa.
The Business
Independent power producer (IPP) Lesedi Biogas Project (LBP) is planning to build one of the world’s largest open-air feedlot manure-to-power plants, in Heidelberg, near Johannesburg, South Africa. Such plants use the anaerobic fermentation (bacterial fermentation of organic waste, with little or no oxygen present) to produce a methane rich gas which can be used to produce electricity or burn for heat.
The plant will be situated at the Karan Beef feedlot, which will supply the manure from its feedlot to the LBP. This would initially amount to 110,000 tons per year of manure, which would allow the production of 3,8 MW of base-load power reaching 6,2 MW of peak power. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 17th, 2009
Building houses out of straw is as old as, well, as old as the medieval nursery story about the Three Little Pigs, and their houses; one of Bricks, one of Straw and something… it’s been a while.
Straw building has a long long history. It is a great natural insulator. But it’s not so easy for the average builder to access straw, these days.
You’ll not find straw insulation at your local hardware store. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 17th, 2009
Massive untapped solar radiation advantage of Africa - click for numbers
This positive report on the opportunities for Renewable Energy in South Africa is a starting point for a series of posts that will report on developments in and linked to the use of Renewable Energy in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Where is Renewable Energy Going in South Africa?
An almost ten fold growth in revenue from renewable energy is predicted by business research and consulting firm Frost and Sullivan’s. This emerges from their Southern African Renewable Energy Equipment Market analysis, which sees the current renewable industry in South Africa having revenues of only $28.4 million in 2008 but projects a growth to over $250 million by 2015. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags:
development,
Eskom,
feed-in-tariffs,
government target,
NERSA,
RE,
renewable energy,
renewable energy strategy,
REPA,
Solar,
South Africa,
target,
wind
Published on September 10th, 2009
A gas project of Chevron and Total is responsible for major funding of the military junta in Myanmar, allowing Burmese generals to accumulate billions of dollars in Singapore banks, and human rights abuses have been linked to the Yadana Pipeline, says human rights group EarthRights.
EarthRights claims that both Total and Chevron have tried to dismiss the abuses, which include forced labor and killings, by Myanmar troops along the Yadana Pipeline. The group also maintains that the $4.8 billion in revenue from the project has allowed the ruling military junta to continue to exist. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on September 10th, 2009
The world’s very first floating fullscale offshore wind turbine has officially been inaugurated in the North Sea off the coast of Norway.
The turbine even has a name: Hywind. It measures 213 feet tall and weighs 5,300 tonnes, and it rests on a floating stand which is filled with water and rocks to provide balast. Three powerful cables anchor the stand to the seafloor.
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Published on September 4th, 2009
In order to cut greenhouse emissions, fight climate change and save energy, 27 countries in the European Union (EU) are gradually phasing out traditional light bulbs. As of September 1st, 2009, 100-watt and frosted incandescent light bulbs can no longer be manufactured or imported, although stores can sell their remaining stock. Read the rest of this entry »
