Syda Bbumba, Uganda's finance minister

The Ministry of Energy is to start implementation of a new rural electrification project in March 2011, officials have said.

Mark Tanton, Chairperson, SAWEA

The government's integrated resource plan (IRP), expected to be released in September, has had little input from consumer groups and civil society.

Ryan Hammond, Managing Director, Solaire Direct SA

Solaire Direct SA managing director Ryan Hammond believes it's only a matter of three years before renewable energy becomes cheaper than traditional fossil fuel electricity.

SPM is a leading service provider in providing turnkey primary plant services to the electricity supply industry and industrial customers. Services provided by SPM include the transportation, installation, testing and commissioning of HV circuit breakers and power transformers.

The South African Wind Energy Association (Sawea) on Thursday said that information from wind energy project developers in South Africa showed that 6 000 MW of wind energy was "ready to be commissioned right now".

The residential sector in South Africa consumes 17% of the electrical energy. More than 70% of this electricity is generated using fossil fuels which contribute immensely to environmental pollution and global warming.

Last year’s African Utility Week (AUW) was a landmark event for the African electricity industry. Beyond the presentations and the extraordinary exhibition, talk in the corridors, over lunch and during the ceremonial events, was focused on a new future.

by Kaela Siame, Director, Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre, Zambia 

Electricity markets are being actively implemented in many countries and experiences of acting in such markets are gained. Competition in the same markets has brought about the renewed utilization of Generation, Transmission and Distribution assets, with the aim of enhancing profitability and increasing their value to the owners.

Hugo van Vuuren, one of the Lebone Solutions founders

A new, off-grid lighting technology looks set to take developing countries with low electrification rates by storm. While many off grid electrification projects harness wind or solar power, a project by a group from Cambridge, Mass, is developing a fuel cell that operates on bacteria from soil!