Energize e-News    incorporating   SA Power & Energy
  
E-Newsletter for the Power and Energy Sectors of Southern Africa        Issue 31, March 2010
Plans and promises
by Mike Rycroft editor
 
Mike Rycroft 2010 is the start of a new decade, and the future suddenly looks a lot closer. For instance 2012, the original scheduled date for completion of the first unit at Medupi Power station is only two years away. 2013, the date by which we are destined to have 10 000 GWh of renewable energy generation is only three years away, and 2015 is only five... (more)
Eskom's World Bank loan - what are the stakes?
by Chris Yelland, EE Publishers

Chris YellandThere's been a lot of media coverage of the pending World Bank loan of US$3,75-billion for Eskom. Activists lobbying in the US and UK have opposed the Eskom loan application on environmental grounds. According to analysts, it is unlikely that the loan will not be granted. But who is the World Bank, how does it make its decisions, and what are the stakes?... (more)

Anglo to enter the power generation industry?
by Chris Yelland, EE Publishers

Various media reports have quoted Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll as saying Anglo may invest in a power station. Now Anglo has officially announced on its website it is studying construction of a new coal-fired power station using circulating fluidised-bed combustion technology. What will be next?... (more)

Will technological fixes nix doomsday scenarios? 
Information from EEInformer

Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, humankind has managed to extract ever increasing amounts of fossil fuels to feed a growing global economy. Every now and then an obstacle would present itself, but human ingenuity and advancements in technology would typically fix the problem... (more)

Merz & McLellan and Mott MacDonald join forces 
Information from Merz & Mclellan    

Merz and McLellan, has joined Mott MacDonald as part of both companies' plans for expansion in Africa and to strengthen the already prominent position in the African power consultancy market... (more)

AMEU tariff survey - results  
Information from the AMEU  

For many years the AMEU has conducted an annual survey among a selection of municipal electricity distributors, Eskom and a Namibian electricity municipal utility, in order to attempt to establish a comparison of prices by these distributors... (more)

The Jacob Marley column: Robin Hood

While everybody was focusing hard on the NERSA price increases for Eskom, a very important announcement in the decision paper went almost unnoticed: tables setting out "inclining block tariffs" for residential customers. Many customers have studied the shocking numbers in the first two tables... (more)

The carbon conundrum: doing the right thing for the wrong reason    
by Mike Rycroft, editor     

Climate change has become one of the most talked about and argued about subjects in recent times. Everybody seems to have an opinion on the issue, and heated arguments flow back and forth in the media and social networks between supporters and opponents of the theory... (more)

The Danish use of DC - using wind turbines for backup power
by Chris Meyer, technical journalist
 
What on earth does a long-forgotten statistic about the use of Danish wind turbines in the 1917 - 1918 winter of World War I have to do with energy use today? And, more pointedly, why am I using it to start this article, which is being published in South Africa?... (more)
Wind farms to be designed in future 
by Marianne Vang Ryde, Technical University Denmark 

In the future, most wind turbines will not stand alone in a field, but together with other wind turbines as part of large wind farms on land or at sea. If yield and durability are to be perfect, the location of each wind turbine must be planned carefully... (more)

Power transformers - are you covered?  
Information from Megger
 
It's easy to assume that the substation on your site belongs to the power utility, but are you absolutely sure? If you get it wrong, and you're unlucky enough to suffer a transformer fault, you could find yourself landed with a bill for tens or even hundreds of thousands of rands... (more)
Electricity theft - is there an answer? 
by Ian Davies, Campbell Davies Consulting
 
Electricity theft, by-passing of meters, failure to pay bills, failure to bill correctly all get lumped under the euphemism of "non-technical losses". This scourge accounts for at least 3600 MW or one "six pack" power station... (more)
High-voltage bushings - 100 years of technical advancement
by Lars Jonsson and Rutger Johansson, ABB, Sweden
 
Reliability has always been one of the core demands of the energy market. This core demand is also fundamental for high-voltage bushings - critical components of all electrical networks, as their chief role is to prevent flashovers to ground... (more)
Use of Interdac III cables  
Information from Aberdare Cables
 
Intermediate voltage cable (1,9 / 3,3 kV ) has a reduced lifetime compared with standard LV or MV cables, because of higher operating electrical stress and low cost design. The Interdac range of low cost intermediate voltage cables was introduced to fill a very specialised niche... (more)
Smart grid basics - turning information into power
Information from Oracle
 
The Smart Grid is a vision of a better electricity delivery infrastructure. Smart Grid implementations dramatically increase the quantity, quality, and use of data available from advanced sensing, computing, and communications hardware and software... (more)
Intelligent transport 
by Ladislav Sobotka, Skoda electric and Ralf Herrmann, Semikron   
 
Power electronic systems are used in day-to-day applications. The sophisticated technology behind the scenes, however, often goes unnoticed. As an example, take public transport vehicles such as the underground, trams or trolley buses... (more)
Energy savings on induction motors  
by C D Pitis and M W Zeller, BC Hydro Power Smart, Canada    
 
Load factors of some squirrel cage motors have values of 0,1 to 0,4. This suggests that for relatively long periods the motors run close to no-load, and that such motors are either grossly oversized or are cycling with significant time spent near no-load or idling duty... (more)
Institute and industry news
Views, comment and opinion
Company and product news
 
Laser welding seals boiler leaks
2,2 MVA standby generator delivered
Important delivery for Medupi
Upcoming power factory courses
Reach stackers for wind power components
Energy management system upgrade
Genset for coffee factory
Stack emission monitor
Portable infrared thermal imaging cameras
Engineers' Choice award
Acquisition of solar power company
Conferences, exhibitions and training

In this issue...
- Plans and promises
- Eskom's World Bank loan - what are the stakes?
- Anglo to enter the power generation industry?
- Will technological fixes nix doomsday scenarios?
- Merz & McLellan and Mott MacDonald join forces
- AMEU tariff survey - results
- The Jacob Marley column: Robin Hood
- The carbon conundrum - doing the right thing for the wrong reason
- The Danish use of DC
- Wind farms to be designed in future
- Power transformers - are you covered?
- Electricity theft - is there an answer?
- High-voltage bushings - 100 years of technical advancement
- Use of Interdac III cables
- Smart grid basics
- Intelligent transport
- Energy savings on induction motors
- Institute and industry news
- Views, comment and opinion
- Company and product news
- Conferences, exhibitions and training
infraset
 
Impact exhibitions
 
ICUE
 
Lighting handbook
 
EE recruitment
  
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Energize e-Zine March 2010
 
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Vector e-Zine March 2010
March 2010 issue
 
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Published by
 
EE Publishers
 
P O Box 458
Muldersdrift
1747
South Africa
 
Tel: 0115437000
Fax: 0115437025
  
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EE Publishers (Pty) Ltd.
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