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Nearly every country in the world faces the challenge of producing sufficient clean, alternative power – and South Africa is no different. Fossil fuel power stations contribute largely to pollution and global warming, and are costly too.
While South Africa may not be facing an imminent energy crisis, Dr Marco Lotz, a carbon resources sustainability specialist at Nedbank, says the generation and distribution of electricity in South Africa will remain under severe pressure for some years. “The lack of economic growth in South Africa is one reason why we can currently keep the lights on, but we will run into electricity shortages again the moment economic growth picks up, and a shortage of electricity will again reduce the potential for growth,” explains Dr Lotz.
Investment in the production of clean power is essential. Since round one of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) in 2013, which has put South Africa well ahead of other countries on the continent, and among the world leaders in installed renewable power, the cost of energy per kWh has reduced to below 80 cents for wind and solar, deemed the most cost-effective sources of alternative power in our country.
Solar power
There is 1 800 MW of renewable energy already feeding the grid as of June 2015, and a further 7 000 MW of renewable power has been approved by the Department of Energy, says Colin Muller, co-founder and CEO of PiA Solar. The company was entrusted with some 400 MW of solar installations to the utility-size solar farms in the Northern Cape in 2012, of which 260 MW is on their South African-designed and manufactured structures.
“About 15 000 tons of steel have been used in our construction so far, and we recently reached a major company milestone as the first African-based company to fit one million solar panels,” says Muller. These were fitted at SCDA3, a 90 MW PV Solar Capital solar farm located just outside De Aar in the Northern Cape, and they also set an industry record of installing 11 004 solar panels on the Solar Capital site in one day. These will generate enough solar energy to supply power to 920 three-bedroomed homes.
The vision of Muller and his team is to see solar panels with storage on every rooftop in South Africa, supplying the grid on demand, and boosting income for the homeowner or business. The investment will be over five to eight years, after which the power will be free. A spin-off will be employment opportunities for local communities.
The South African wine industry is doing its bit to ensure a sustainable future – their biggest solar-power project so far was commissioned by DGB at their bottling plant in Wellington. DGB is the country’s largest independent wine brands company, including Boschendal, Douglas Green, Bellingham, Brampton, Franschhoek Cellars and Tall Horse, and it is in a joint venture with engineering specialists Terra Firma Solutions, who installed a ground-breaking 800 kW solar project that provides essential renewable energy to the Western Cape’s wine and agriculture sector.
Wind power
On its own, solar technology is still very much in a state of development, and while efficiency and reliability continue to improve, when complemented with wind power the two energy sources can be most effective. “The wind is always blowing somewhere in the country, and during the day the sun is shining somewhere in the country too,” says Muller.
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The Development Bank of Southern Africa has committed about R 11 billion to Independent Power Producer (IPP) programmes resulting in an estimated energy production of 1 450 MW. As Lucy Chege, general manager of Infrastructure Finance at DBSA, explains, “DBSA has financed 21 renewable energy projects since launch. One of the most successful interventions is a R 3 billion wind farm near Jeffreys Bay, which came on stream in May 2014, just three years after being commissioned,” says Chege. Spread over 3 700 hectares of land, the farm can generate up to 138 MW of electricity when all 60 turbines are operating at full speed – enough to power 100 000 homes.
Hydropower
As the Western Cape is experiencing, Dr Lotz warns that in the not-too-distant future, the whole of South Africa may have water load shedding, mainly due to recurring drought and ageing infrastructure. “In such a scenario it could be possible that not all the needs of those connected to water infrastructure will be met at all times.”
In countries like America, hydropower accounts for about 6% of total electricity generation, but with South Africa’s lack of consistent rainfall, and the insufficient flow of perennial rivers, there is not much possibility of plentiful power generation via water. The concern of water shortages is global, and immediate steps must be taken to conserve our limited reserves. Access to safe drinking water is a prime concern, with companies and homeowners starting to take precautionary steps. Adding two drops of the point-of-use water purifier Puresan Pure Drop per litre of water means that waterborne diseases can be avoided by purifying dirty river or borehole water for human consumption. The pioneering result is elimination of the gastro-intestinal effects of poor drinking water. There is no unpleasant smell or taste, unlike when using chlorine and bromine tablets, assures John Penrose, director of African Water Solutions.
“The product includes a saturated complex ionic solution of copper, silver, zinc and nanometre-particle technology, which destroys all algae and bacteria in water by changing their enzyme processes, and complex ions break down the DNA structures and cell walls. Once all these charged particles coagulate, they can be filtered out or left to settle to the bottom of the container,” explains Penrose.
The 30ml drop dispenser bottles are available at general retail outlets. Puresan conforms with World Health Organisation, EPA and SAN241 standards for human consumption, and treats up to 450 litres of water, making it ideal for families and industries like fruit growers.
Another company looking for innovative solutions is Saint-Gobain, committed to reducing water consumption and waste generation in the construction industry to help decrease carbon emissions and environmental degradation. The company is the first local manufacturer to complete a critical Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on their products, to measure the environmental impact of a product in every stage of its life from raw material through five stages to the end of its life cycle.
Their drywall systems use 87% less water than the brick and mortar method. They are lighter than a double-skin brick wall, so less material is needed for the foundations. Transport costs are reduced, and very little water is required for plastering drywalls (800ml per square metre).
