Threats and promises of the renewable energy market by Mike Rycroft, features editor
The renewable energy (RE) industry in South Africa has shown remarkable growth in the past years, and the government Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement programme (REI4P) has been tremendously successful. Yet in spite of optimism... ( more)
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Stats show solar power is shaking things up by Dr. Vince Micali, Stats4Buz
I am afraid that this article needs to be on a more serious than humorous note, and as a matter of fact, more pertinent to a fundamental subject which stands at the very heart of the publishers (and mine): energy. I recently came across a study done at the Swedish Institute for Social... ( more)
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The myths of solar debunked by Allen Mathews and Alex Volkwyn, Energy Partners
While South Africa boasts an ideal climate for the generation of solar electricity through photovoltaic (PV) panels, solar power is not an automatic "quick fix" for home owners hoping to cut their energy bills. This is because most households use the majority of their energy during... ( more)
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Read the electronic flip-page e-Zine edition of Energize RE here
Energize RE is published in print, HTML website, electronic e-Zine and email newsletter. Click below to read the electronic flip-page e-Zine editions of Energize RE.
Vol. 4, March 2016
Vol. 3, July 2015
Vol. 2, June 2014
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REIPPP programme developers and project details
The South African government's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REI4P) has resulted in thousands of MW capacity being added to the national grid. See below for project details:
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The utility death spiralby Bryan Hart, Technique Electronics
In Germany, utility revenues are spiraling down the rabbit hole. According to 2013 financial results, Germany's RWE utility lost more than $3,8-billion last year as it cycled down unprofitable fossil fuel plants due to sliding wholesale prices. The yearly loss is... ( more)
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Renewable energy grid matters: An IPP perspective
by Hendrik Reynecke, Mainstream South Africa
There have been various reports and debates recently about the challenges of connecting successful REI4P bidders to South Africa's national grid. This debate has been influenced by various factors including energy shortage crises, load shedding... ( more)
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International investment in the South African renewable energy market
Information from FC Business Intelligence
In just four years South Africa has gone from being a coal-dependent economy to a prime destination for renewable energy investment. Largely propelled by the REI4P which commenced in August 2011, the scheme has procured 79 projects with a capacity of... ( more)
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Forecasting and nowcasting: Improving management of renewable resources
by Mike Rycroft, features editor, EE Publishers
Prediction and forecasting of the power and energy production from renewable energy (RE) systems on a day ahead or short-term basis is essential for the management of networks that incorporate RE. Many existing systems, based on wide area look ahead... ( more)
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Solar photovoltaic energy output forecasting for the South African power system
by A Pillay, R Stephen, and H Geldenhuys, Eskom, and J van Coller, University of Witwatersrand
South Africa is in the process of including more renewable energy technologies into the existing energy mix by means of the REI4P. Hydro, wind, solar photovoltaic, wave/tidal, concentrated solar and biomass technologies are the most suitable renewable... ( more) |
Analysis of strategic MV-integrated PV generation on rural farming areas in the Western Capeby Zo� Lincoln, Eskom
Many rural areas within South Africa's Western Cape exhibit electricity demand profiles which, unlike the overall system, peak during the summer months. These are typically fruit growing areas, with significant year-on-year growth, requiring ongoing... ( more) |
Organisational concepts for the asset management of renewable energy power plants
by Florien Kroeber, 3Energy
Renewable energy (RE) power plants that deliver electricity to the national grid and that are owned by independent power producers are a new concept in South Africa. Only since the first successful projects of REI4P achieved commercial operations... ( more) |
Enhancing grid code compliance assessment of renewable power plants by William Yuill and Clinton Carter-Brown, Aurecon
South Africa is procuring electricity from independent power producers in accordance with the integrated resource plan. These IPPs must be compliant with the grid code. The grid connection code for renewable power plants specifies the technical... ( more)
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Run-of-river hydropower systems by Mike Rycroft, features editor, EE Publishers
The current focus on distributed medium sized renewable energy systems has led to a closer look at small to medium sized hydropower systems as a possible component of a future energy mix. Run-of-river (ROR) systems offer a promising solution... ( more) |
Solar power takes off at South Africa's airports
by Aimee Clarke, EE Publishers
With Eskom requiring organisations to implement demand-side management, and with ongoing threats to power security, renewable energy projects have been implemented by companies all over South Africa to help support energy intensive operations. Airports... ( more) |
Retractable pre-assembled PV systems
by William Berenson, PWRstation
Most rooftop and ground mount installations are permanently fixed to a pre-installed framework which is attached to either a groundmount system or the roof structure itself. Assembly of this structure can be costly and time consuming, as well as difficult to remove... ( more) |
Wind turbines for private power generation
by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers and Mark Ristow, Adventure Power
The development of utility scale wind turbines in the several MW maximum power range has been well documents and most are familiar with these products. The sub-megawatt range is less well known but is a developing market for the private... ( more) |
Making sense of wind turbine drive train technology
by Panu Kurronen, The Switch
In the past decade wind turbine engineers and industry commentators have expressed varied and often conflicting opinions about which generator-converter package makes the best modern wind turbine drive trains. Yet a consensus is finally starting... ( more) |
The role of oil analysis in wind turbine gearbox reliability
by Steven Lara-Lee Lumley, Wearcheck
Barriers to widespread acceptance of wind turbines include their reliability, costs of operation, and maintenance of the equipment relative to alternative means of power generation. The estimated life span of wind turbines is about 20 years and the failure... ( more) |
Hybrid renewable energy systems: The game changer
by Mike Rycroft, features editor, EE Publishers
The concept of combining several different renewable energy (RE) technologies in a complementary fashion to provide a continuous supply of electricity has been around for a long time. Most early systems were once-off custom designs for specific... ( more) |
What can FPGAs do for a renewable energy system?
by Raviteja Chivukula, National Instruments
In typical renewable energy systems (RES) functionalities such as power conversion control and monitoring are implemented on custom built embedded boards. This is done using microcontrollers/digital signal processors (DSPs) that have fixed architectures... ( more) |
Energy storage and renewable energy systems
by Mike Rycroft, features editor, EE Publishers
It has become accepted that storage is an essential part of renewable energy (RE) systems if they are to provide a significant part of electrical energy requirements, with the same availability and dispatchability as conventional systems. In addition... ( more) |
RE sources integration for off-grid electrification using battery energy storage systems
by F Palone, M Rebolini, R Polito, A Necci, A Tortora, TERNA Italy, and G Crugnola, I Dona, S Lupatini, N Zanon, Fiamm Italy
Diesel generators (DGs) are the most common option for electrification of rural communities. However, the commercial maturation of renewable energy-based technologies like photovoltaic (PV) systems and small wind generators (WGs)... ( more) |
Renewable energy in Africa
Compiled by Aim�e Clarke, EE Publishers
From utility-scale projects to small installations in rural areas, catch up on the latest renewable energy developments throughout Africa:
- Zimbabwe hydropower running low due to drought
- Solar park nearing operation in Namibia
- Solar power for off-grid villages in Rwanda
- Wind power en route to Kenya
- Egypt focuses on high-tech storage
- Ugandan orphanage gets home biogas system... (more)
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