Tag: Energy
Inequality is detrimental to Africa’s growth – Oxfam
The World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA) taking place in Durban till Friday shows that South Africa continues to be a gateway to the rest of Africa, says Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba.
During a roundtable discussion on “blue economies” South Africa’s Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa shared lessons on how African nations can utilize water resources, such as rivers and oceans, as pathways to reach markets and also use them to create more economic opportunities.
Several films have been confirmed including International Emmy Award Winning Director Rehad Desai’s The Giant is Falling, which will premiere in Durban at the People’s Economic Forum.
Unlocking industrial activity and intra-Africa trade, as well as growing Africa’s share of global trade is crucial for continental development, in his view.
The South African President noted many African youths lack rare skills which makes them unemployable.
Dozens of activists are demanding that delegates who are now attending the World Economic Forum on Africa be sent home in the same manner that President Jacob Zuma was during Monday’s May Day rally. These thoughts lead into this year’s theme of responsive and responsible leadership.
President Edgar Lungu will be accompanied Minister of Commerce and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe, Minister of Energy, David Mabumba and Presidential Affairs Minister, Freedom Sikazwe.
The Africa Competitiveness Report combines data from the Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) with studies on employment policies and city competitiveness.
Mr Mwamba said the President is among regional leaders that include President Jacob Zuma as host; SADC chairperson, King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Swaziland; President of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi; President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni; and President of Namibia Hage Geingbo, among others. The forum met in Pretoria on 3 May 2017 where the circular economy was also discussed amongst other issues of mutual interest.
Past year the focus was on how Africa can benefit from the massive technological changes happening in the world – termed The Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The meeting has on its agenda initiatives for economic growth and social inclusion, digital economy and society, education gender and work, food security and agriculture, environment and natural resource security, health and healthcare and long-term investing and infrastructure.
Source: clicklancashire
SUSTAINABILITY WEEK 2017, HOSTED BY THE CITY OF TSHWANE
Sustainability can be defined as taking care of present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
A recent report by sustainability consulting firm, Pure Strategies, shows that global corporate spend on sustainability is on the rise. The incentive? Billions worth of added value in the form of increased sales, reduced costs, and additional earnings from in risk reduction, productivity gains, and enhanced growth opportunities.
The report demonstrates a clear link between sustainability programme investment and business benefits. As noted by Tim Greiner, Pure Strategies Managing Director, “The business case for sustainability has never been stronger. Investment is higher than ever, especially from the top performers. But resources must shift to promoting more productive and regenerative systems, clean energy, safer materials, and fair opportunities. These shifts are where change is most needed and where companies can find the greatest business value.”
To discover where and how your organisation needs to change, book your place at Sustainability Week 2017. Africa’s premier green economy forum, Sustainability Week 2017 is the only event of its kind that confronts the formidable topic of embedding sustainability from an African perspective. Multiple perspectives on a plethora of vital, cross-cutting industry topics provide attendees with the big picture – and the insight to allow them to begin making the decisions that will determine the future success of their enterprises.
Clear your windscreen
Confused about what sustainability means to your organization? Chances are you’re not alone.Chris Wild, executive director of Food and Trees For Africa and a speaker at the event, comments: “The truth is that people often throw the word sustainability around without actually knowing what it means in the South African context, or, more importantly how to get there. Normally when people talk about a sustainable project, it means that the project has had the ability to continue post their exit. Some might even call it sustainable while they are still involved in the project. People generally view sustainability through the lens of their own business or experience. I’ve had mining companies tell me that a project, where people were first-time farmers, should be financially sustainable within three months – a clearly unrealistic expectation, demonstrating a clear need for additional insight into the sustainability of agriculture on their part.”
Sustainability Week 2017 cuts away the confusion, clearing your windscreen so that you know exactly where your organisation stands. An array of industry-specific seminars explores the challenges and opportunities pertaining to the key sustainability topics of energy, transport, water, agriculture, tourism, mining, manufacturing efficiency, infrastructure, and waste management. Comments Gordon Brown, Director of Sustainability Week 2017: “Quite simply, Sustainability Week provides a toolkit for organisations to navigate the risks and opportunities in an uncertain world. The competitive advantage that sustainability affords will enable private companies and public sector entities to become more efficient, more resilient and to create more value. By the end of the week, delegates will be in a much better position to develop clear targets, roadmaps, and actionable innovations that make practical business sense, whatever line of business they are in, and in many cases will have met the people that will help them to implement the change they now visualise.”
Get the job done
Of course, sustainability is more than good business policy: it underpins the development of society at large. Effective sustainable development requires not only a shift in mindset but also the acquisition of skills. “Development, in itself, requires a specific skill set,” says Wild. “Some people have the mindset of throwing money at the problem. Some approach it, perhaps unintentionally, from a patriarchal viewpoint. If development is going to be truly sustainable then these types of mindsets have to change. Time and again, we are shown that these are not the ways to develop people or projects, yet companies continue to do it. Successful projects should be measured on multiple levels. A project should be its own growing ‘organism’ which not only improves the lives of the beneficiaries but also the communities and government.”
To this end, Sustainability Week 2017 is augmenting its renowned sector focused seminars with outcomes orientated workshops designed to provide the hard skills to ensure successful project implementation. The Project Bankability workshop tackles hard-core finance issues; the Urban Development and Planning workshop provides a blue-print for effective, sustainable city administration; while the Start-ups and Business Incubation workshop opens the door to sustainable opportunities for entrepreneurs.
The seminars highlight a targeted set of the contemporary problems, solutions and opportunities intrinsic to the sector in focus” adds Brown, while the workshops address the core skills required to get the job done, and which are common to people from different sectors and departments.”
The Executive Mayor of City of Tshwane, Councillor Solly Tshepiso Msimanga fully embraces Sustainability Week as an opportunity for City stakeholders to reflect on how to yield the City’s three strategic pillars – namely revitalization of the economy, stabilization of the administration, and delivering of services especially to the poor – from a sustainability perspective. “If things are done in a sustainable way, the positive impacts will be felt beyond short-term planning cycles. We will be able to look back and feel proud.”
Hosted by Alive2Green, in partnership with the City of Tshwane, Sustainability Week 2017 will be held at the CSIR International Conference Centre from 13-15 June 2017.
Contact:
Gordon Brown
021 681 7001
021 447 4733
gordon.brown@alive2green.co.za
http://www.africancapitalcities.org/
http://sustainabilityweek.co.za/
Twitter: @SustainWeekSA
Facebook: Sustainability Week SA
Why companies get their carbon footprints wrong
Corporate carbon accounts could be delivering inaccurate results that undermine efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
That is the stark warning contained in a new report (PDF) from consultancy WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, which argues many businesses are failing to adequately account for the significant daily and seasonal fluctuations in energy-related carbon emissions.
The report argues using averages to calculate the carbon footprint of a business or building could result in a distorted picture for corporate and policy decision-makers, especially as smart grid technologies promise to make it easier for organizations take advantage of the periods when energy is at its cleanest.
The study details how the carbon intensity of grid power varies significantly on both a month-by-month basis and throughout the day.
According to the report, carbon intensity peaks at 400gCO2/Kwh for a few hours a day in January and can fall as low as 200gCO2/kWh in August. These fluctuations could become even more pronounced as more intermittent renewable energy comes on to the grid.
“In winter evenings, carbon-intensive energy (such as coal) is required to meet the demand for electricity in homes, which isn’t as high in summer afternoons, when cleaner energy such as solar is more common,” the report states. “Therefore turning on the television in the middle of the day in summer will have far lower carbon emissions than during the evening in winter.”
The report also warns that the widespread use of daily and annual averages to calculate carbon emissions could result in policies that inadvertently undermine the roll out of energy storage and demand response technologies that are designed to better match supply and demand and make it easier for consumers to use the power generated by renewables.
WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff cites the example of the Climate Change Levy, which charged per kWh amount of electricity or gas we use, regardless of when the energy is used.
“The environmental implication is that two buildings or businesses using the same amount of energy could be unknowingly producing very different levels of carbon emissions whilst being charged the same amount through the climate change levy,” the report explained.
“Further, companies that are trying to reduce CO2 emissions by using energy storage measures will be paying more in Climate Change Levy and reporting higher CO2 emissions than those that aren’t, as calculations are based on how much energy is used, not when it is used.”
Barny Evans, sustainability and energy expert at WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, said businesses needed to be aware of how their carbon footprint could vary based on the time at which they consume power.
“Buildings and businesses are under increasing pressure to meet legal requirements to reduce emissions, but it’s not as simple as counting a single number,” he warned. “Organizations with specific goals such as carbon neutrality will find their current accounting is unknowingly leading them to take policies and actions that result in higher or lower carbon emissions than they realize.”
He argued plans to deliver smarter energy grids would benefit from a better understanding of when energy has the highest levels of carbon intensity.
“As technology advances and the grid decarbonizes we need to move to a system that better recognizes the benefit of carbon reducing measures including energy storage and demand reduction,” he said. “By taking into account when energy is being used we will have the opportunity to not only work out how to reduce carbon emissions but also our bills.”
Source: greenbiz
The economic case for wind, solar energy in Africa
To meet skyrocketing demand for electricity, African countries may have to triple their energy output by 2030. While hydropower and fossil fuel power plants are favored approaches in some quarters, a new assessment by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has found that wind and solar can be economically and environmentally competitive options and can contribute significantly to the rising demand.
“Wind and solar have historically been dismissed as too expensive and temporally variable, but one of our key findings is that there are plentiful wind and solar resources in Africa that are both low-impact and cost-effective,” said Ranjit Deshmukh, one of the lead researchers of the study. “Another important finding is that with strategic siting of the renewable energy resource and with more energy trade and grid interconnections between countries, the total system cost can be lower than it would be if countries were to develop their resource in isolation without strategic siting.”
The research appeared online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in an article titled, “Strategic siting and regional grid interconnections key to low-carbon futures in African countries.” The lead authors are Deshmukh and Grace C. Wu, both Berkeley Lab researchers in the Energy Technologies Area. Much of the initial research was funded by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which is based in Abu Dhabi. Individual fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the Link Foundation to Wu and Deshmukh supported the expanded analysis on wind siting.
“As a region, Africa is in an unparalleled energy crisis rife with electricity deficiency, lack of access, and high costs,” said Wu. “How African countries and the international community tackle this crisis in the coming decades will have large social, environmental, and climate implications.”
One-of-a-kind open-source planning framework and tool
The Berkeley Lab study is the first of its kind for Africa, using multiple criteria-such as quality of the resource, distance from transmission lines and roads, co-location potential, availability of water resources, potential human impact, and many other factors-to characterize wind and solar resources. Looking at the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP), which together include 21 countries accounting for half the continent’s population, it found that many countries have wind and solar potential several times greater than their expected demand in 2030.
The tool they used to make these evaluations, the Multicriteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE, at mapre.lbl.gov) was developed at Berkeley Lab in collaboration with IRENA and is open-source and publicly available to researchers and policymakers.
“Usually project developers will just choose the site with the least levelized cost and best wind speeds, but in reality those aren’t the best sites,” Deshmukh said. “Often times you want development closer to transmission infrastructure or to cities so you don’t have to assume the risk involved in developing transmission infrastructure over long distances, let alone transmitting electricity across those distances. It’s difficult to quantify those costs. Our tool enables stakeholders to bring all these criteria into their decision-making and helps them prioritize areas for development and preplanning of transmission.”
Siting and grid interconnections are key
Not only did the researchers find plentiful wind and solar resources in Africa, another key finding was that system costs and impacts could be lower with robust energy trade and grid connections between countries. And if wind farms are strategically sited so as to manage peak demand, costs can be lower still.
“System costs can be further reduced if wind farms are sited where the timing of wind generation matches electricity demand rather than in areas that maximize wind energy production,” Wu said. “These cost savings are due to avoided natural gas, hydro, or coal generation capacity.”
For example, the researchers found that in a high-wind scenario in the Southern Africa Power Pool, strategic siting and grid interconnections would reduce the need for conventional generation capacity by 9.5 percent, resulting in cost savings of 6 to 20 percent, depending on the technology that was avoided.
“Together, international energy trade and strategic siting can enable African countries to pursue ‘no-regrets’ wind and solar that can compete with conventional generation technologies like coal and hydropower,” Wu said. “No-regrets options are low-cost, low-impact, and low-risk.”
With Berkeley Lab’s MapRE tool, policymakers will be able to do a preliminary evaluation of various sites on their own without having to rely on developers for technical information. “This information brings policymakers level with project developers,” Deskhmukh said. “It reduces costs for everybody and allows for a much more sustainable planning paradigm.”
In addition to Africa, the researchers have uploaded data for India and plan to add more countries, most likely in Asia. And they have held five workshops in Africa for regulators, academics, utilities, and energy officials to share the approach and findings. “They’ve been super enthusiastic,” Deshmukh said. “We’re seeing impacts on the ground.”
The amount of wind and solar currently deployed in Africa is tiny, he said. But with global prices having declined dramatically in the last decade or so, renewable energy has become a competitive alternative. And while hydropower is a significant and familiar resource in Africa, climbing costs and persistent droughts are making it less attractive.
“Just based purely on economics today wind and solar are attractive,” Deshmukh said. “It makes economic sense. Through planning around multiple stakeholder criteria and prioritizing wind and solar projects for regional energy trade, policymakers and financiers can increase their cost-competitiveness.”
Source: sciencedaily
Exosun partners with Lesedi
Exosun, worldwide leading supplier of advanced, cost-effective solar tracking solutions for groundmounted photovoltaic (PV) plants, and Lesedi Nuclear Services, a leading South African company for the power industry, based in the Western Cape, offering engineering, project management, recurrent maintenance services and technical resources are pleased to announce their partnership agreement.
Since establishing its presence on the African continent in 2015 through the registration of its Cape Town subsidiary, Exosun (Pty) Ltd has been very active in business development, understanding the capabilities of the local market and developing its manufacturing capacity in view of upcoming projects in the Sub Saharan region. In 2016, Exosun secured its first MW project in Namibia. This success has enabled Exosun to mobilise its qualified South African suppliers for this first project. From this first success, Exosun (Pty) Ltd is set to have a bright future in the region and this has lead Exosun CEO to deploy a new strategy with the light of Exosuns’ deep understanding of the importance of localisation and need of strong alliances with reputable players in the industry in South Africa.“After months of extensive research to develop the best strategy in order to benefit our prospects and clients, we have found Lesedi to be a strong reputable industry stakeholder. Our complementary approachwill ensure the success of our customers” says François Ménard, Exosun’s CEO.
He adds, “Lesedi will deliver the support needed to our customers and will ensure plant design, tracker manufacturing and installation of our single axis tracker, offering to our customers the highest possible level of local content while also providing a very high level of BBBEE compliance. Lesedi will offer all the services covering the full lifecycle of a PV plant project, ensuring plant performance and customers’ success for the long-term”.
Lesedi’s CEO Mr Francis Carruthers emphasized that, “this is a strategic partnership that will be complementary to Lesedi’s expanding market offerings in the renewable sectors in Africa and we will ensure we achieve the highest degree of local content. Lesedi over the years has demonstrated that local content can be achieved across the entire value chain of projects it’s engaged in and this partnership withExosun will achieve the same again.
Solar-power system could provide clean drinking water in rural India for the first time
A solar-powered purification system could slake the thirsts of rural India with clean drinking water for the first time. This would be no ordinary feat. Tens of millions of people in India lack access to potable water, and roughly 600,000 Indian children die every year from water- and sanitation-related diseases like diarrhea or pneumonia, according to UNICEF. In the country’s most far-flung regions, where 70 percent of India’s population lives, toxic bacteria routinely fouls at least half of the water supply. But while the Indian government has focused its efforts on treating surface water in rivers and streams, researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland want to attack the source of contamination: sewage.
They’ve developed a system that uses sunlight to induce high-energy particles within a photocatalytic material, which uses light to generate a chemical reaction. These, in turn, activate molecules of oxygen, mobilizing them to destroy bacteria and other organic matter.
Because the materials require no power source, an off-grid system requires little more than attaching the photocatalyst to containers of contaminated water and angling them toward the sun until they’re safe to drink. If necessary, the system could be used in tandem with a filter to catch larger particles.
The researchers are now working with the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research to scale up the technologies they honed during a five-month pilot project.
“Working closely with our Indian partners, we aim to harness the sun’s energy to tackle a huge problem that affects many people around the world,” Neil Robertson, a professor from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry, said in a statement.
Source: inhabitat
Eskom commissions 765 kV transmission line in Western Cape
State-owned Eskom earlier this week commissioned its 765 kV Kappa–Sterrekus transmission line, connecting the Western Cape to the network over and above the 400 kV network.
The 765 kV is one of the highest voltages used for electricity transfer in the world.
This line connects Sterrekus’s 765 kV substation through the 765 kV network to the north. The substation is equipped with the latest switchgear and protection schemes and will be the new hub for the transmission western grid, as it connects to Koeberg and other major substations in the Peninsula.
The 400 kV network to the Western Cape was established in 1974 with only two lines from the North to the Western Cape. Subsequent to that, a third and a fourth in-feed were established.
This is the first major change to the transmission networksince 1974, giving the Western Cape a much-needed secure supply from the major power stations in Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
The line between Kappa near Touwsrivier and Sterrekus posed severe challenges to the construction teams, as entry to some of the mountainous areas could only be achieved by helicopter. Construction took place mostly by hand.
“It was also difficult to obtain the servitude as the line had to cross the Ceres and Tulbagh valleys and required extensive public and stakeholder engagement,” the utility said in a statement.
Source: engineeringnews
Mercedes Benz C350e PLUG-IN HYBRID-Quality, Style and Safety
Alive 2 Green was invited to attend the launch of the all new Mercedes C350e Plug-in Hybrid and Mercedes S500e Plug-in Hybrid at the company’s manufacturing plant in East London.
After a short presentation we were taken on a plant tour of the state of the art factory where the C-Class is built in Left hand and Right hand drive configurations for local and export markets. The C350e Plug-In Hybrid is also built here.
Following this we had the opportunity to drive both cars on the highway from East London to Port Elizabeth. The C350e Plug-in Hybrid is a further milestone to zero emission mobility and follows the S500e Plug-in Hybrid and is the first with a 4 cylinder engine. Power output is 205kw with torque of 600Nm and a certified consumption of 2.1l/100km. This fuel consumption is managed by the intelligent drive system that anticipates energy management taking into account the destination and traffic situation.
The C350e can run for 31km in all electric mode, but the “Intelligent HYBRID” system ensures the High voltage battery is always only charged enough to take advantage of recuperation opportunities provide by the route and terrain set by the on-board navigation system, which constantly gives feed back to the engine depending on the upcoming terrain, up to 7 kilometres in advance. The electric motor automatically boosts the combustion engine to discharge the battery enough to store the expected recuperation energy.
The HV battery can also be charged by plugging it into a normal wall socket at home or office.
The road to the halfway stop Oceana Lodge near Port Alfred gave us ample opportunities to check out the performance of both models in their various spec and operating modes.
Hybrid Mode: this provides optimum use of the combustion engine and electric motor.
E-Mode: this uses the electric motor only, ideal for running around town.
E-Save Mode: preserves the High-Voltage Battery for future use.
Charge: Electric operation is stopped and the combustion engine charges the HV Battery.
Another feature is Radar based recuperation. A double impulse on the haptic accelerator pedal warns the driver to take his foot off the pedal as the car in front is approaching too fast. This is done by a double vibration on the pedal. If the driver still continues to keep his foot on the accelerator a proximity warning light will appear on the instrument panel and when the driver brakes the seat belt will automatically tension holding the driver and front seat passenger in the seat. Once the driver takes his foot off the accelerator pedal the combustion engine will switch off and be disconnected from the drive train.
Both cars have a host of safety and style and comfort features expected in these state of the art cars, and are the hallmark of the Mercedes Benz marque.
The Mercedes Benz C350e costs R804 900 whilst the S500e retails for R1 875 500.
Source: Leadershiponline
2016 SAEE Annual Banquet and Awards Ceremony – Keen on Green
The theme “Keen on Green” was this year’s tagline during the annual Southern African Energy Efficiency Convention, and was highlighted at the 2016 SAEE Banquet and Awards Ceremony.
The drive behind the theme coincided with the current COP 22 being hosted in Morocco and which is perceived as preparing the way for implementation of the Paris Accord. Among the important areas of focus of the ratification of the Paris Accord is an emphasis on Energy Efficiency and all related aspects to its implementation.
This was truly the year for ground breaking news. 2016 saw the SAEE being awarded as the best performing chapter among over 90 international chapters by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). The SAEE is also pleased with the calibre of nominations for our Awards this year and look forward to developing our awards to include more categories together with the prestige deserving of high performing professionals, companies and organisations.
The SAEE is intent on ensuring that more South Africans receive international recognition for their efforts and that our awards also profile the work of women and youth in the industry. We know that much as these awards are a personal accolade, they also market your project or your company. Most of all, they say to us that you are making a contribution to our country to save energy and promote our competitiveness as a nation.
One of the important drivers of Energy Efficiency is behavioural change. Often it takes hard work, persuasion and savvy skills to convince others that they need to reduce their energy consumption.
From left: Spoiled by the amazing setup for the evening; Erika Kruger and Nikki Nel from Timzama with the AEE Best Chapter Conference & Expo (International) Award; the LTM Team in high spirits and dressed to impress with the green theme; Violinist – Adri Scholtz had everyone swooning.
Welcomed by our master of ceremonies, Mr. Gareth Burley, we kicked off the evening in style with the phenomenal violinist, Ms. Adri Scholtz.
The Awards were presented by Mr. Karel Steyn (immediate past president) and Ms. Lisa Reynolds (President).
The winners of awards in eight categories were recognised on Tuesday evening for their outstanding work in advancing energy efficiency. The following Awards were presented:
• Recognition for the Energy Newcomer of the Year,
• Energy Company of Year,
• Energy Professional of the Year,
• Energy Project of the year,
• SAEE Energy Patron of the year,
• SAEE Energy Service Award,
• SAEE Excellence award in Energy, and the
• SAEE Ian Ernest Lane Hall of Fame
• Recognition for International Awards
Energy Newcomer of the Year: ASH & LACY South Africa
Ash & Lacy South Africa (Pty) Ltd are an exciting new start-up company offering specialised products to the roofing sector in Southern Africa. As subsidiary of Ash & Lacy Building Systems Ltd, a BREAM accredited building envelope systems manufacturer in the UK, Ash & Lacy SA have made significant strides in the energy efficiency sector of the SA market.
Energy Company of the Year: Energy & Combustion Services Technology Solutions Development (Pty) Ltd
ECS have been assisting Kumba Iron Ore with diesel energy management since 2009. “They have identified and implemented several initiatives that assisted us in realising fuel savings.
From 2009 until 2015 they could verify 18.5 million litres of diesel savings to the value of R199.987 million. Their initiatives and management also realised R49 million rand of tax rebates for the 2015/2016 tax year through section 12L projects. Their methods are unique and they constantly have to innovate in order to realise and prove fuel savings since it is very reliant on people behaviour.
Energy Professional of the Year: Dr. Willem den Heijer
Willem has 19 years experience in energy engineering, energy management and measurement and verification (M&V). He specialises in mining and industrial energy management, the delivery of sustainable savings, as well as the M&V of project impacts.
He holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering (energy engineering) and is certified as an Energy Manager (CEM®), a Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP®), an Energy Auditor (CEA®) and as a Carbon Reduction Manager (CRM®) by the Association of Energy Engineers in the United States of America. He has presented various courses on behalf of the Association of Energy Engineers. Willem is currently the Program Manager for an Anglo American Platinum Project, having handed over the Palaborwa Copper ELP consistently delivering in excess of +10% energy cost savings.
Energy Project of the Year: AngloGold Ashanti & HVAC International
AngloGold Ashanti’s (AGA) Vaal River mining complex consumes 250MWh per day for the supply of compressed air. The intricate network consists of 37MW of installed compressors along a 27km surface piping network with multiple users situated on surface and underground.
To reduce energy consumption, AGA, in co-operation with Heating Ventilation and Air-Conditioning International (HVACI), implemented a real-time dynamic control system (REMS-DCS) to optimise and automate their compressor controls. The unique system needed minimum human intervention to achieve a daily energy efficiency impact of 18MWh. This means annual electricity cost savings of R 4.9 million. Full automatic compressed air control, on such a scale, has never before been achieved in the mining environment.
SAEE Energy Patron of the Year: Alf Hartzenburg, NCPC-SA
Alf Hartzenburg has almost 40 years of industry experience. He studied Civil Engineering at UCT and holds Diplomas in Textiles, Production Management, Business Administration and Financial Management.
He is also one of five UN EU Green Flower Ecolabel trainers in South Africa.
Alf is passionate about training and empowering others towards effective energy management. He joined the NCPC-SA as a project manager in the Industrial Energy Efficiency Project (IEE Project) in 2012.
Since then he has taken on the responsibilities of Senior Project manager in the Western Cape and is responsible for the full RECP project team. Alf is a UNIDO certified expert in three disciplines – Energy Management Systems (EnMS) as well as Steam and Compressed Air systems optimisation (ESO) – and is one of a handful of local experts also qualified to present expert-level training both locally and internationally. He is also a Certified Energy Manager (CEM). As a result of his extensive expertise and experience, Alf presents numerous workshops countrywide and has grown to be recognised as a leader in his field. He is also a co-opted member, in an advisory capacity, of the South African Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Energy (PCE). In honour of his exemplary contribution to the industry, we acknowledged Alf Hartzenburg as the 2016 Patron of the year.
SAEE Energy Service Award: GIZ
Awarded to Dr. Ulrich Averesch, recognizing an organisation or individual whose role has made a significant difference and contribution towards the growth of the energy efficiency and related industries in the Southern African region. This award acknowledges demonstrated, outstanding achievements in a company or individual which is delivering exceptional service and/or excellent sustainable energy solutions through innovative ideas and applications, etc. that are viewed as excellent in the industry.
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SAEE Excellence in Energy Award: Dr. Tsakani Mthombeni
Dr Tsakani Mthombeni, Group Head of Carbon and Energy at Gold Fields, tasked with setting the Group’s energy and carbon management strategy and supporting its execution across eight (8) gold mining operations in four (4) countries – South Africa, Ghana, Australia and Peru. Gold Fields’ energy spend accounts for 22% of Goldfields’ operation costs (2015, US$311m), thus energy management, and leveraging the dual benefit of carbon emissions reduction is a strategic imperative for Goldfields.
Prior to this role, Dr Mthombeni spent five (5) years sourcing and funding pre-commercial new energy, technologies in South Africa as the General Manager: Energy, at the Technology Innovation Agency, managing a US$12 million technology innovation portfolio. Prior to this role, Mthombeni worked at Anglo American as group Senior Energy Engineer, developing standards for and supporting implementation of energy management initiatives across the diamonds, platinum, coal, iron ore and platinum assets.
As a further measure of the man, he is unrelentless in his quest for continuous development and academic excellence. Mthombeni also holds numerous academic qualifications received from the University of Cape Town, then Clarkson University, Potsdam, and New York for his MSc and PhD, both in electrical engineering. He previously served on the board of the Southern Africa Energy Efficiency Association, and serves as an external examiner at the University of Pretoria and Stellenbosch University.
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SAEE Ian Ernest Lane – Hall of Fame: Lisa Reynolds
Lisa Reynolds recived the honour of becoming a member of the Ian Ernest Lane Hall of fame.
The SAEE board unanimously nominated Ms Lisa Reynolds who is, and has been a contributing Board member of the SAEE, has an extensive CV showcasing involvement in the energy sector at various levels as part of a supplier organisation, in research capacities, standards development, advisory and the regulatory environment, within the speciality focus areas of green buildings, insulation, energy saving interventions and Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management (EEDSM). She is well respected in industry while also previously filling the position of president of the soon to be revived, Energy Services Companies Association (ESCOs).
Considering Ms Reynolds’ accomplishments in which she has acquired substantial knowledge and experience in multi-level sectors of the energy industry, the SAEE board is of the opinion that Ms Reynolds deserves being introduced into the SAEE Hall of Fame (2016).
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SAEE Scholarship Programme
The Southern African Association for Energy Efficiency (SAEE), in cooperation with sponsoring companies, awards scholarships to students with an excellent academic record in previous years of study. The Scholarships are awarded in support of transformation of the energy sector and are only awarded to South African Nationals.
The companies that sponsored these scholarships are:
• EnTF
• Cova Advisory
• Swisscontact
The winners of the 2016 SAEE scholarships are:
• Sphelele Khanyile
• Nontokozo Nondumiso Mbatha
• Christopher Craig Korte
Recognition for International Awards was given to the following companies and individuals:
• The AEE International Division – Best Overall Chapter Performance was received by the SAEE
• AEE International Division – Best Chapter Conference & Expo (first year for this award category) received by Erika Kruger
from Timzama
• AEE Hall of Fame was given to Prof. L. J. Grobler, past president of both the AEE and SAEE
• AEE Young Energy Professional of the Year awarded to Mr. Keith Cassie from Standard Bank
• AEE Sub-Saharan Africa Region Award: Energy Project of the Year 2016 awarded to Standard Bank South Africa
• Terrapin: Africa Energy Awards – African Energy Project of the Year awarded to LTM Energy
• Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM): Energy Management Insight Award received by 2 South African Companies, Gyproc Saint
Gobain and Aberdare Cables
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$30bn boost for African agriculture – Let’s turn pledges into businesses at the Agri Investment Indaba!
Press Release
Has Africa’s growth run out of steam? This question has been on the minds of many investors, business leaders and policy makers as they observe increasing interest in key industries such as agriculture, energy and technology, with however limited access to financial resources. Companies (African and international) are looking for business-building opportunities and governments are seeking to accelerate growth by diversifying their economies.
The time has come for businesses and governments across the African continent to translate opportunities into tangible economic benefits. Although Africa’s economies have diversified to an extent, more is needed to overcome economic vulnerabilities. With the need for large companies to power the continent’s growth, the agriculture industry is certainly committed to play its part.
It was a blockbuster moment for African agriculture at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) as African leaders, businesses, and major development partners pledged more than US$30 billion dollars in investments to increase production, income and employment for smallholder farmers and local African agriculture businesses over the next ten years. The collective pledges at the 2016 AGRF are believed to represent the largest package of financial commitments to the African agricultural sector to date.
There’s a call for investors and financiers to join the “Seize the Moment” campaign and keep the momentum by turning these pledges into actual business. With a key focus on production of scale, technological advancement and access to market tabled at agricultural forums and government cabinets, the African Agri Council (AAC) has developed the African Agri Investment Indaba (AAII), the gateway to bankable agri projects in Africa, as a move towards seizing the moment.
While African agriculture has seen significant progress, there’s a greater need to emphasize on the impact of lack of financial resources in the agriculture industry to ensure a good return for our progress. Much more is needed for African countries to feed themselves and the world.
Do you want to gain access to investment and key partners that will take your company and agri projects to the next level? The African Agri Investment Indaba (AAII) 2016, taking place from the 28 – 30 November 2016 at the CTICC in Cape Town, is the meeting place for senior government officials, executives and entrepreneurs across the agri value chain. With over $1bn worth of projects already in our database and a growing investor participation competing for the best projects to grow their agri portfolio, AAII 2016 is the ideal deal-making forum.
For more information, please visit our website (www.agricouncil.org and www.agri-indaba.com).
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Issued by the
African Agri Council, Julia Barton-Hill, Key Stakeholder Relations and Marketing Director – African Agri Council on 083 456 5308 or julia.bartonhill@agricouncil.org www.agri-indaba.com
ABOUT THE AFRICAN AGRI COUNCIL
The African Agri Council is a network of global executives, decision makers and key stakeholders in Africa’s agricultural industry. It connects executives with their peers, policy makers, investors & financiers and leading global service providers across Africa and around the world.
