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Spring is sprung, the grass is ris... I wonder where the resource plan is?
by Mike Rycroft, editor
 September 1 has come and gone, and the latest news is that the promised public discussion of the IRP2 will be delayed "for a few weeks". This is another source of frustration for those who have been preparing for this event. The question is not so much the long term plans, but the short term, particularly the amount of renewable energy which will be contained in the portfolio.... ( more) |
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Appointment of Rob Stephen to the Cigré steering committee
Information from the SA National Committee of Cigré
 It is with great pride that the SA National Committee of Cigré announces Rob Stephen has been elected to the international Steering Committee of Cigré during the current Paris session. This increases our profile as a country within Cigré, and allows us great opportunity to influence the technical direction that the organisation takes. Please join the commitee in congratulating Rob on this achievement... ( more) |
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SANEA Energy Awards 2010 - and the winners are...
by Mark Botha, features editor
The SA National Energy Association announced the winners of the 2010 SANEA Energy Awards at a gala banquet and awards ceremony held at Montecasino on 26 August 2020. The annual SANEA Energy Awards are conferred to individuals and corporates for their contributions to a sustained and healthy South African energy sector... (more)
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10 000 GWh from renewables, five new nuclear power stations
by Mark Botha, features editor
The recent Investec power summit in Johannesburg highlighted issues and challenges in the energy sector pertinent to investors and industries dependent on power availability in the southern hemisphere. Speaking at the summit, Dipuo Peters, minister of Energy, said... (more)
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Launch of AMEU branch in Namibia
Information from AMEU
After a very successful meeting, the attendees resolved to establish the AMEU Namibia Branch. This exercise was very well supported by all REDs and other electricity distribution utilities in Namibia with the support of the Namibian government, NamPower and the Association of Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN)... (more) |
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Proactive business policy gives Actom Electrical Products a boost
by Mike Ullyett, Actom
Actom Electrical Products, a leading supplier of quality electrical products and the primary distribution arm for the Actom group (formerly Alstom South Africa), has branches strategically located around the country to ensure prompt supply and high quality service to its customers... (more)
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The Jacob Marley column: IRP 2010 - too many answers!
I was interested to learn recently that the eagerly awaited Second Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2010) of the Department of Energy is due by October of this year. Even more encouragingly, it seems to have drawn a lot of reaction from the public... (more) |
Is nuclear power history? Nuclear-powered aircraft Part 3: To the moon and the stars by A-bomb
by Chris Meyer, technical journalist
Today, few people know that the Soviet Union attempted to reach the moon before the Americans landed on it on 20 July 1969. Also forgotten is that, in the 1960s, both the Americans and the Russians were seriously considering using nuclear engines as part of their moon rockets: and for possible missions to Mars... (more) |
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Wind energy integration using sodium sulphur battery energy storage
by J Himelic and F Novachek, Xcel Energy
As more wind capacity comes online, system impacts will become consequential and have to be addressed. With a large penetration of wind and plans to add more in the near future, the company is seeking innovative ways to integrate renewable energy. One potential solution is large-scale electrochemical energy storage... (more)
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New electrolytic cells to play a role in tomorrow's local energy supply
by Leif Sřnderberg Petersen, Danish Technical University
Lower CO2 emissions demand more renewable energy in the energy system. This calls for new solutions that take account of the considerable variations in the amount of wind energy, hydropower, solar energy etc. One of the solutions is to store surplus energy locally using solid oxide electrolytic cells (SOEC)... (more)
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Coal power without combustion
Information from EPRI
Clean coal combustion technologies now in development are expected to help secure a place for coal in the next generation of power plants. But another innovative approach may offer a simpler option for the long run: direct electrochemical conversion of carbon into DC power via fuel cells... (more)
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Water tree ageing of polymeric cables
Information from DuCab
Water trees are a chemical degradation of polymeric insulation such as XLPE or EPR that only occurs in the presence of water and an electrical stress. In the 1970s and 1980s many polymeric cables failed after 3 - 10 years in service because of water tree degradation of the insulation materials... (more) |
Mitigation of voltage collapses by means of SVC
by Rolf Grünbaum, Peter Lundberg and Björn Thorvaldsson, ABB
Recent blackouts have focused attention on the importance of a secure and reliable supply of power to homes, public institutions and industry. The unbundling of power generation and transmission in recent years has meant that grid companies can no longer rely on generators for reactive power... (more) |
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FACTS compensation modelling for optimal power transfer
by A Ndimurwimo, R T Harris, A G Roberts, and W Phipps, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth
Voltage drop is an obvious indication of the imbalance between the generated and consumed reactive power in the transmission system. Utilities take different measures to raise the nominal voltage, but if careful planning is not done, transmission compensation can result in the inability to transfer power at the designed capacity... (more) |
Impact of HWC DSM on voltage conditions and feeder design
by R Herman and T Gaunt, University of Cape Town
An extensive load research program, known as the NRS Load Research Project, was conducted between 1994 and 2005 in South Africa. From this data source statistically-based load models were derived, and are used in a probabilistic design procedure for the sizing of LV feeders... ( more) |
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Controlling the impact of power factor and harmonics on energy efficiency
by Jacques Schonek, Schneider Electric
A power factor correction (PFC) and harmonics mitigation plan will always improve the energy efficiency of electrical installations. Distorted voltage in AC distribution systems negatively impacts operations and drives up expenses. This paper analyses PFC and harmonics problem areas and offers practical approaches for improvements... ( more) |
Emergency load reduction and system restoration
by R G Koch and J Correia, Eskom Holdings
An increasing dependency on electricity requires deliberate measures to manage emergencies. NRS048/9 makes an emergency a requirement for load shedding. No utility may use the document for normal business operations, and he document describes methods of load shedding which maximise predictability... ( more) |
Energy under control
Information from Electromechanica
A new series of multi-function panel meters can keep distribution systems under control and monitor the quality and availability of electricity in low, medium and high-voltage commercial and industrial installations in order to control consumption, monitor the installation status, and check the requirements imposed by energy authorities... (more) |
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