ESI-AFRICA.COM - The Power Journal of Africa

Five smart grid demonstration projects

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:01:52 +0200

17 May 2012 - Twenty six partners of the Smart Energy Collective have signed a renewed cooperation agreement for the approval of the second phase of its smart grid initiative, which involves the development of five large-scale smart grid demonstration projects in the Netherlands. The signing follows a successful preparation period, and marks the start of the actual design phase of the five trial test sites.

New geoengineering concept for a climate change insurance policy

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:56:57 +0200

17 May 2012 - Dispersing fine (sub-micron) light-scattering particles into the upper atmosphere could help to combat climate change, suggests a former UK government advisor and chemical engineer.
The technology concept developed in the UK and first revealed in this month’s tce magazine, advocates dispersing benign titanium dioxide particles as used in paint, inks and sunscreens into the stratosphere to deflect the sun’s rays.

Kenya pursuing nuclear energy

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:54:21 +0200

17 May 2012 - Kenya’s Business Daily reports that Kenya Power has begun recruiting staff to manage its planned nuclear energy project

The company has called for applications for a project feasibility team leader, internal auditor, financial accountant, procurement officer, legal assistant, audit assistant and an ICT officer related to plans to build a nuclear energy project.

IEA says clean energy not being deployed rapidly enough

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:24:17 +0200

16 May 2012 - The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that while progress is being made on renewable energy, most clean energy technologies are not being deployed quickly enough.

It released a report earlier this year called Tracking Clean Energy Progress, which highlighted the rapid progress made in some renewable technologies, notably the solar panels easily installed by households and businesses (solar photovoltaics (PV)) and in onshore wind technologies. In fact, onshore wind has seen 27% average annual growth over the past decade, and solar PV has grown at 42%, albeit from a small base.

Former IPCC reviewer does about turn on climate change

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:20:44 +0200

16 May 2012 - Professor Fritz Vahrenholt, former environment senator and CEO of RWE Innogy, told Welt Online his thesis that global warming will be significantly less substantial than previously thought. By the end of the century, he believes, there will be just an increase of one degree Celsius. He believes the influence of the sun on the Earth’s climate has been significantly underestimated until now.

Forget global warming and move up to real climate change

Wed, 16 May 2012 07:14:48 +0200

By Andrew McKillop

16 May 2012 - Ambassador Richard H. Jones, deputy director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), opened the IEA's April conference by-lined Clean Energy Progress, by saying global temperatures are "probably" going to rise by "six degrees Celsius" by about 2050. The main problem, apart from this being totally impossible − barring massive meteorite attack or massive volcanic eruptions − is that fewer and fewer persons believe this story.

Eskom to spend R9.79 billion to move coal transport from road to rail

Tue, 15 May 2012 06:41:13 +0200

By Antonio Ruffini

15 May 2012 - Eskom dominates the domestic steam coal market in South Africa, accounting for about 116 million tonnes of the market’s 177 million tonne total. Even though the utility aspires to reduce its dependence on coal fired technology from 90% to about 65%, it will remain the country’s largest buyer of domestic coal for a long time to come.

South Africa loses pre-payment metering lead

Tue, 15 May 2012 06:36:01 +0200

15 May 2012 - The Jakarta Post reports that Indonesian state power utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has five million pre-paid customers on its books, the largest number of any power company in the world.

Egypt provides electricity infrastructure to South Sudan

Tue, 15 May 2012 06:32:18 +0200

15 May 2012 - Egypt’s minister of electricity and energy, Hassan Yunis, informed via the country’s state information services that Egypt has completed power projects in South Sudan. The projects include the establishment of a power plant and electricity distribution grids in Wau extending over an area of some 100 kilometres. This involves the establishment of 19 transformers.

Drops in water body levels force Tanzania to expensive emergency power

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:47:01 +0200

14 May 2012 - Tanzania’s national electricity supply utility Tanesco has warned that low water levels in the Mtera dam would enable the production of electricity for only a few more months, and that if the situation did not improve expensive emergency power would have to be used.

Companies such as USA based Symbion Power have plants in the country that can supply some of this emergency capacity. In May 2011 Symbion acquired a 120 MW gas turbine plant at Ubungo, Dar es Salaam, and later last year was fast tracking a 55 MW diesel engine plant at Dodoma.

Nigeria puts in place resolution to ensure payment for electricity by government entities

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:42:46 +0200

14 May 2012 - Leadership Newspapers online reports that a recent resolution by the Lower House directing the Federal Ministry of Finance has been made to deduct from quarterly budgets electricity debts owed the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) by government ministries, departments and agencies, the military, police and para-military organisations. However, this move is facing stiff resistance from the affected government outfits.

South Africa’s shale gas study for July submission to Cabinet

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:31:28 +0200

14 May 2012 - South African minister of minerals Susan Shabangu says that a technical report on shale gas will be submitted to the Cabinet in July at the latest after exploration for this resource in the country’s Karoo region was suspended in 2011 to enable further study on the matter. That followed protests regarding the environmental effects of hydraulic fracking.

SA’s Cabinet endorses carbon capture plan

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:28:27 +0200

11 May 2012 - On Friday 4th of May, South Africa’s Cabinet approved a carbon capture and storage (CSS) roadmap for the storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in deep geological formations. CCS has been identified in the South African government’s long-term mitigation scenarios plan as one of the options to reduce CO2, which is associated with global warming.

The country’s minister for performance monitoring and evaluation, Collins Chabane said the country had voluntarily committed to reduce CO2 emissions by 34% in 2020, and by 45% in 2025, on condition that the requisite technological and financial support was provided.

Botswana’s Sese coal and power project looking for strategic development partners

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:16:45 +0200

11 May 2012 - African Energy Resources (AFR) is progressing the Sese coal and power project in Botswana. It has been bolstered by a recent announcement from the Botswana government that it is looking for a new 300 MW coal fired independent power producer (IPP). In addition, the company says that further IPP opportunities exist with credit worthy state-backed utilities.

Spinoffs from offshore wind market growth

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:10:13 +0200

11 May 2012 - The global wind energy market witnessed huge growth during 2010 and 2011, as total wind power capacity around the world grew by 20.6%, according to a new report by energy intelligence provider GlobalData.

The report suggests that the growth of major wind power markets in the US, Germany, Spain, India, Italy and France is expected to slow down during the coming years, but emerging markets within Asia-Pacific and south and central America are expected to easily fill this void.