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Issue No 87                                                                                             February 2015
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Michael Straton
Challenges bring opportunities for the electrical industry
by Michael Straton, ECA(SA) president 
 
The new year is barely underway and 2015 has already presented us with a number of challenges. Eskom introduced rolling load shedding with Medupi 6 again subjected to more delays and controversy... (more)

Jean-Pascal Tricoire
The new world of energy: Digital, local and user focused
by Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Schneider Electric
 
The energy world is changing. From the concentrated and centralised system discovered in 1888, the energy system is evolving to a decentralised system with diverse energy generation sources... (more)
Leon Viljoen Power and automation company bullish about the future
by Roger Lilley, EE Publishers

EE Publishers speaks to ABB South Africa MD Leon Viljoen about the company's annual results meeting on 5 February 2015. ABB's revenue decreased from R5,9-billion in 2013 to R4,8-billion in 2014... (more)
Chris Yelland
Boiler contractor at Medupi, Kusile defends its reputation 
by Chris Yelland, EE Publishers

Eskom's boiler works contractor at Medupi & Kusile has moved to defend its reputation, & to clarify its position in respect of any perceived non-performances in meeting its contractual obligations... (more)

How the ECA(SA) variation tariffs work
by Calli Pieterse

Several questions have been addressed to the ECA(SA) recently by electrical contractors who have experienced apparent contradictions of unit-only tariffs for contract variations, compared to those published by the association. Edison Power operations manager Calli Pieterse explains... (more)
Vector Inbox
 

In this issue, our readers give advice on voltage surges at Kidds Beach in the Eastern Cape and respond to a letter in our Nov/Dec 2014 issue on the role of the conveyance attorney in the issuance of CoCs... (more)


A new approach to luminaire quality evaluation 
by Connie Jonker, IESSA

In August 2014, IESSA formed the Lighting Industry Technical Committee (LITC) to deal with matters of concern to the SA lighting industry. The LITC has also formed a working group tasked with evaluating the status of certain key industry challenges... (more)
Regulation of temporary employment services
by Stephen Khola, ECA

As a non-standard form of employment, the Temporary Employment Service was a very controversial topic in the South African employment milieu not so long ago. There was, in fact, a big push from some elements within organised labour for the complete ban of TES... (more)
Resistance welding applications in electrical engineering, precision mechanics
by Jörg Kundrat, Miyachi
 
The growing use of heavy-duty electronic devices and components in motor vehicles has led to increased use of previously unused or only rarely used bonding methods. Soft soldering and crimping are reaching the limits of their possibilities... (more)
Optimal facility performance through data analytics 
Information from Schneider Electric
 
Data analytics, the practice of collecting and analysing data to identify operational trends, can help building and facility managers reduce major equipment spend while improving energy savings by up to 30%... (more)
Information from NMMU 

The TetraStack automatic guided vehicle and racking matrix system, which was awarded second prize in the 2014 PneuDrive Challenge, allows for concurrent placement, retrieval and defragmentation of packages in warehousing facilitie... (more)

Improving power quality in real-life applications
Information from Impact Energy

Poor power quality is one of the principal reasons for equipment failure. Dips and spikes in supply voltages are common in many industrial environments and are usually caused by switching equipment on and off. Addressing power quality requires sophisticated equipment... (more)
ECA(SA) news 
Industry news 
Company, product, project & service news

Intelligent headlamps with 256 pixels
Revised guidelines for street lighting published
Portable LED emergency lights
CIE report on spatial brightness
Stutterheim receives international accolade
Modular tower light
New technique could transform low-energy light detection
New local distributor for hazardous lighting
Passive and active arc fault protection in LV switchgear
How to keep VFDs and motors running
VFDs for industrial applications
Major contracts clinched at Liberian port development
High power variable frequency drive
Servo drive with integrated safety
Catering to southern Africa's LV circuit breaker needs
Retrofit solutions for MW switchgear
High technology UPS boosts productivity
LV variable speed drives with safeguard function
Low voltage panel range successfully tested
LV, three-phase AC variable speed drives
Production monitoring made simple
Innovative concept for MV switchgear
Safety relays with built-in intelligence
Gear-wheel flow meter reduced mechanical wear
High-performance electric actuator
Mechanical service package offered