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Priorities for our new minister of energy
by Prof. Anton Eberhard, University of Cape Town
Tina Joemat-Pettersson faces a daunting task as South Africa's new energy minister. She will be the seventh energy minister since the advent of democracy in 1994 (on average, ministers have occupied the position for less than three years). None have truly put their stamp on the sector and the challenges the new minister faces are arguably the most serious in 20 years... ( more)
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Cancelling bonuses and increasing tariffs won't fix Eskom's problems
by Roger Lilley, editor
Eskom's senior executives will not take their annual bonuses for the financial year 2013/14. The utility's interim CEO, Collin Matjila, says that this decision was made as part of Eskom's efforts to cut costs in light of the projected R225-billion revenue shortfall over the five-year period 2013 - 2018... ( more)
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Power to grow sub-Saharan Africa's economy
by Robert Bagatsing, Peter den Boogert, and Majid Zahid, Altaaqa
While achieving a buoyant economic climate is a feat in itself, the real challenge lies in staying afloat. To sustain the economic optimism that Africa is now enjoying, it is imperative that governments, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, address the critical issue of chronic power shortage, which hampers the development of various industries in the region... ( more)
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SA's renewable energy IPP procurement programme: Success factors and lessons
A World Bank report by Prof. Anton Eberhard, UCT, Joel Kolker, World Bank Institute, & James Leigland, Private Infrastructure Development Group
SA occupies a central position in the global debate regarding the most effective policy instruments to accelerate and sustain private investment in renewable energy. The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) has successfully channeled substantial private sector expertise and investment into grid-connected renewable energy in SA at competitive prices... (more)
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The Jacob Marley column: Acting is no joke
Sir
Shame - as they say in the Beloved Country - shed a tear for anyone in an acting position. Take, for instance, the man who is now acting in charge of a once great electricity utility. Was he Shanghaied or was his arm twisted? Was he persuaded gently or was he made promises? Or was there some other (altruistic) reason? Vilified by virtually every pundit, decried by every rag, his supposed sins published for all to gloat over, one cannot but feel sorry for him, whatever the truth, if any... (more)
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This month's letter questions the benefits of enbedded generation in the light of the design of South Africa's LV infrastructure... (more)
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Compiled by Peter Adams, EE Publishers
Cameroon plants get new owner; Ebute Power Station, Nigeria; Ethiopia develops solar capacity; Ghana 50 MW solar plant; KivuWatt Power Project, Rwanda; Sierra Leone phase 2 hydro; Tri-fuel plant, Togo; West Africa celebrates renewables... ( more)
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Gauteng to upgrade hospital boilers for natural gas
by Roger Lilley, editor
Martin Mkhabela, the DDG in Gauteng's Dept of Infrastructure & Development, says coal-fired boilers at provincial hospitals will be replaced with natural gas-fired ones, and other "green" initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint. The province also intends to install PV systems on the 8-million sq m roofs of its buildings... ( more)
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Project overview: Droogfontein solar farm
by Roger Lilley, editor
16 km north of Kimberley the small community of Droogfontein tablished the Droogfontein Community Property Association (CPA) which leased 100 ha to a consortium consisting of Globelec and the Droogfontein Community Property Trust, for the development and construction of a R1,5-billion, 50 MW, solar power generation plant... ( more)
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Information from Bilfinger Power Africa
A wide range of heat exchangers are used in power stations, some of which are feed water heaters, which are used to raise the temperature of the feed water before it enters the boiler economiser. This article describes the design of an efficient feed water heater... ( more)
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Standby or auxiliary power generation set sizing
by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
With the decreasing reliability of the grid power, standby generators have become a common feature in consumer networks. Correct sizing of a plant to match the load and the prevailing operating conditions is essential for long term reliable operation... (more) |
The implementation of phasor measurement technology in Eskom
by Reshin Moodley and Brian Berry, Eskom
The modern era of power delivery is faced with many challenges due to decreased reserves, increased use of renewable generation, flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) devices, and changes in customer/load behaviour. To manage these risks, it is important to have near real time visibility of the health of the power system... ( more)
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by Dieter Gutschow, EON Consulting, and Kenneth Brown, Eskom
This paper uses the simplified network reliability framework developed by Eskom to examine the high-level economic benefits of network visibility options. The relative economic benefit of different network visibility options and the order of their deployment is analysed... ( more)
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Demystifying SANS 62271 series of MV switchgear standards
by Rhett Kelly, Actom
There seems to be some misunderstanding about the impact of the new SANS 62271 standard - specifically with respect to type test validity and implications on safety. This article aims to dispel certain misconceptions and hopefully provide useful guidance to those involved in switchgear specifications, evaluations and risk assessments... ( more) |
Thin film solar photovoltaic technologies
by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers
The number of projects worldwide using thin film PV in preference to silicon wafer technology is increasing, and record efficiencies for different technologies are being claimed. Thin film PV continues to show advantages over other forms, both in manufacturing and performance... ( more) |
Grounding methods in mission critical facilities
Many factors must be considered when designing the electrical system for critical facilities, such as winders on mines, not the least of which is the type of grounding system to be used. Proper grounding reduces overvoltages, improves uptime, and isolates faults... ( more) |
Replacing a HV mining substation with a modular design
Information from TGood Electric
Mining sites are often located in some of the most inhospitable and logistically challenging areas of the world. Mining operators are increasingly turning to the modular "e-house" design for their electrical systems to overcome these challenges... ( more)
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