E-Newsletter for the Power & Energy Sectors of Southern Africa
Issue 86, April 2015
Will changing Eskom's chairman give us more power? by Roger Lilley, EE Publishers
Eskom has announced the departure of its non-executive chairman, Zola Tsotsi. The power utility's website reports Tsotsi as saying that his departure is "in the interest of the company and the country and was done in order to... (more)
Building on more than a century of legacy that is the Institute, it is my privilege to lead this esteemed organisation in another chapter of its forward journey. When I started the journey as an office bearer in 2012, then President... (more)
The first rule of waste to energy: Is it feasible?
by Dr. Urishanie Govender, GIBB
South Africa's power supply is taking strain and with the country's grid nearing peak demand, an intervention is needed. To this end, several alternatives are being explored but there is a growing need for more sustainable... (more)
NERSA's regulations regarding small scale renewable energy embedded generation
by Mike Rycroft, features editor, EE Publishers
NERSA has issued a discussion document on small scale renewable embedded generation (SSREG) [1] for discussion on a possible regulatory framework for this sector of the market. This article summarises the main features of the document. The... (more)
What is the real cost of new build? by Mike Rycroft, features editor, EE Publishers
Although new build projects are coming on line this year, attention needs to be given to projects which need to be initiated in the near future, and decisions taken on the mix of new build. One of the issues clouding decisions on this issue is the cost of various... (more)
Co-firing biomass with coal for power generation by Mike Rycroft, features editor, EE Publishers
Biomass has been used as a fuel on its own for thermal power generation for many years in the form of wood, straw, wood pellets and other waste. Co-firing with coal is a recent development which allows the benefits of biomass fuel to be achieved in a... (more)
Gaseous emissions from coal stockpiles by Xing Zhang, IEA Clean Coal Centre
Gas emissions from coal stockpiles are negligible compared to coal-fired power plant emissions; however caution should still be taken since some of the gases are toxic and explosive. The stockpiling of coal is carried out at a number of points along the transport... (more)
This month, Energize's readers write in response to reports that Eskom has to shed 1081 white engineers; discuss the generation capacity of South Africa, and offer the some advice on understanding the drama of the electricity sector... (more)
With the rapid growth of distribution network installations, there is a need to monitor and control electrical equipment within the network. Prefabricated substations have the facility to be monitored, controlled or even have complete network management in order to offer... (more)
Pressure on transmission systems has resulted in longer lines and higher voltages and currents, necessitating new higher rated and more efficient power transformers. Loss reduction, costing, environmental and reliability issues for power transformers are all under... (more)
Protecting power systems from destructive electromagnetic fields
by Vladimir Gurevich, Israel Electric
Modern power systems can be badly affected by intentional destructive electromagnetic impacts (IDEI) and need to be protected from the risks associated with this form of attack. These days, a power system can be made virtually immune to IDEI as a... (more)
The publication by NERSA of a study document on small embedded renewable generators covering a proposed simplified net-metering (NM) system [1] has been greeted with enthusiasm by the industry, giving a measure of certainty to the way forward. However... (more)
Enabling wind turbines to operate at high wind speeds
by Mike Rycroft, features editor, EE Publishers
Wind turbines are typically designed to shut down when wind speed reaches a level which could result in damage to the turbine. In high windspeed and gale prone areas this means a regular curtailment of production. New developments allow reduced operation... (more)
Public attitudes to biomass co-firing
by Rohan Fernando, IEA Clean Coal Centre
There is substantial interest in producing energy from renewable sources, given the continuing concerns regarding climate change. Co-firing biomass is one of the simplest ways of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from coal-fired power plant. When... (more)
The first solar photovoltaic (PV) powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station in South Africa was launched on 16 March 2015. The station, which is part of a 9 kW installation, is located on the premises of the South African-German chamber of... (more)
Data centres: the world's greatest energy guzzlers
Information from Aurecon
Data centres have for years been known to be excessive consumers of power, consuming up to 3% of all global electricity production, and roughly ten times more per square metre than the average office. Peter Greaves, Aurecon's expert in data and ICT facilities... (more)
A test programme to quantify energy losses in over-current protective devices (OCPDs) shows that switches and fuses are less energy-efficient compared with equivalent circuit breakers carrying the same load currents. The devices in an electrical distribution... (more)