Technology changing around power storage and generation

With there being a rise in the development of technology for power distribution, storage and generation, power equipment manufacturer Himoinsa Europe, Middle East and Africa director Guillermo Elum says the company is also assessing ways in which technology will change the way electricity is stored and generated.

Himoinsa produces power generation equipment – from diesel and gas generator sets, lighting towers and control panels to hybrid generators and generator sets – ready for incorporation into solar power systems.

Himoinsa provides generator sets to help stabilise energy on electrical grids during peak hours, and can design specialised systems to client specifications.

Where solar or wind farms are used to produce power to supply the grid, Himoinsa generators incorporated into the solution will be used to stabilise the frequency of the power injected to the grid.

He points out that Himoinsa is a vertical manufacturer of their generator systems. The company also produces its own electronic devices without having to use third-party parts, as well as canopies and the containers for generators, which means that products are fully integrated and can be adjusted when required, he says.

“Creating custom designs for generator and power storage machines is important to deal with the challenges that industry faces and to ensure that the generators can be maintained by the tools available to engineers,” Elum points out.

He adds that custom-made designs also enable generators, battery systems, solar and wind systems to communicate with each other. This ensures that power is delivered optimally, particularly amid power dips and peak times, during which the latter requires different loads and synchronicity from the generator sets. Elum points out that to help power systems communicate with each other, Himoinsa believes that the same technology should be used globally.

The power solutions that Himoinsa provides are used with green technology, such as solar and wind, to ensure that the frequency of electricity being delivered is kept stable. Further, he says one of the accompanying challenges that the market is facing is the transportation of power.

“Owing to the distances that need to be covered from point of power production, for example, from a hydro or nuclear plant, to the point of energy consumption, almost 30% of the electrical power can be lost, owing to thermal inefficiency. Because of that, now we are globally speaking about the decentralisation of power production,” Elum explains.

“Generator sets play an important role in supporting many of the systems required to improve efficiency – by producing power as close as possible to the area where the power is needed.”

Industry Overview

Owing to South African power policies changing and adapting after the swearing-in of President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year, companies have started to introduce new developments to update and improve electricity distribution across the country.

Ramaphosa has also started to implement the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, which resulted in power purchase agreements for 27 renewable-energy independent power producer projects at the start of this month.

Elum mentions that, since these political developments, more companies in South Africa are beginning to develop new technology for power distribution, storage and generation.

He states that the improvement in battery technology in general is important for Himoinsa systems, owing to the improving stability in storing and delivering energy that such technology advances provide.

Himoinsa engineers are progressive in their pursuit of improving power generation systems to take full advantage of all the opportunities offered with new battery technology, generator technology and power delivery technology to produce more efficient and clean energy, globally.