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Renewable Energy News

President transfers legislation as part of steps to split mineral resources, energy portfolios

By: Creamer Media Reporter 28th August 2024 President Cyril Ramaphosa has transferred legislation previously administered by the Mineral Resources and Energy Minister to Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa respectively. This follows the announcement earlier... →

Jindal, Zimbabwe in talks for $800m revamp of Hwange power plant

By: Bloomberg 28th August 2024 Zimbabwe’s State-owned power utility is in talks with Jindal Steel & Power over an $800-million upgrade of six units at its Hwange facility as it seeks to reduce blackouts. The plant is the nation’s biggest, with an installed capacity of 1 500 MW and it frequently suffers breakdowns that cause... →

Interruptions, natural disasters, fire and blackouts the main renewable energy sector risks

By: Schalk Burger 27th August 2024 The main risk facing companies in the renewable-energy sector in Africa and the Middle East is business interruption, which remains the foremost risk, with 63% of respondents to financial services firm Allianz's 'Risk Barometer 2024' citing it as the main risk. Business interruption was driven by... →

A quarter of Redefine’s property portfolio to be powered by renewables by end-2025

By: Darren Parker 27th August 2024 JSE-listed real estate investment trust (Reit) Redefine Property has revealed that its total renewable-energy component, which includes wheeling and further expansion of its rooftop solar PV portfolio, is expected to reach 25.14% by the end of next year. Speaking at the Redefine Property capital... →

Sasol Solar Challenge set for September 13 start

By: Irma Venter 27th August 2024 Now in its sixteenth year, the Sasol Solar Challenge is set to start on September 13 in Secunda, in Mpumalanga, and wrap up at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on September 20. The biennial race, which will include international teams from universities in Belgium and The Netherlands, for example,... →

The Brunel team is set to return to the 2024 event

South African private power producers seek fair deal over output curbs

By: Reuters 27th August 2024 South African private power producers are seeking compensation for revenues lost when adhering to requests from state utility Eskom to limit electricity supply to the national grid, industry executives said. Eskom has submitted a proposal to the country's energy regulator to introduce a mechanism... →

Powerlines in sugarcane fields in South Africa

AFC to support Nigerian gas-to-methanol plant development

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 26th August 2024 Infrastructure solutions provider Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is arranging a project development facility to support Africa’s largest gas-to-methanol plant, in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. The project is targeting production of an initial 1.8-million tonnes a year of methanol and aims to considerably... →

GreenSun launches first of a kind solar energy-as-a-service offering for households

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th August 2024 As South Africa’s regulators mull a proposal from Eskom that could see electricity tariffs rise by as much as 40% next year, renewable-energy company GreenSun Renewable Energy has launched an energy-as-a-service offering for residential customers. The company is offering smart solar and battery... →

GreenSun's residential solar-as-a-service offering

Clause posing threat to municipal electricity revenues may be excluded when ERA enters into force

By: Terence Creamer 26th August 2024 President Cyril Ramaphosa has left the door open to excluding a section in the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Act that could negatively affect the revenues municipalities raise from electricity sales when the legislation is officially implemented. Ramaphosa signed the ERA on August 20,... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Africa’s energy transition must be balanced – ISS

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd August 2024 Africa’s energy transition must strike a “delicate” balance, with the continent needing to find a balance between addressing its energy needs and mitigating carbon emissions, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) African Futures and Innovation senior researcher Alize le Roux said, speaking during... →

Timeline for inaugural IEP announced as govt sets year-end target for updated IRP

By: Terence Creamer 23rd August 2024 The South African government aims to Gazette an update to the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity before the end of the 2024 calendar year and finalise South Africa’s inaugural Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) by the second quarter of the 2025/26 fiscal year. The timelines were provided... →

Eskom launches EV charging pilot programme in Midrand

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd August 2024 As Eskom works to electrify its vehicle fleet and decarbonise its operations, the State-owned power utility is piloting electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at its Academy of Learning, in Midrand. This marks a milestone in Eskom Distribution’s commitment to supporting the growth of the... →

Renewables procurement and a grid survey make headlines

By: Creamer Media Reporter 23rd August 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the findings of the latest South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey; how the survey results will be used; and the mixed picture that has emerged for wind and solar projects following the latest public procurement round. →

Renewables procurement and a grid survey make headlines

No indefinite end to loadshedding – Eskom

By: Nadine Ramdass 23rd August 2024 While South Africa is experiencing a significant period during which there is no loadshedding, more time is needed before State-owned electricity utility Eskom can confidently declare an end to loadshedding, says Eskom primary energy GM Dan Mashigo. Speaking at the 2024 Coal and Energy Transition... →

An image of Eskom primary energy GM Dan Mashigo

DAN MASHIGO It would take about two to five years to fully resolve loadshedding

Eskom committed to sustainable future

By: Nadine Ramdass 23rd August 2024 State-owned electricity utility Eskom is focusing on reducing coal intensity and expanding renewable energy as part of its commitment to a sustainable future. This shift in strategy prioritises maintaining plant health over simply "keeping the lights on at all costs" - a practice that has proven... →

An image of an Eskom substation and cooling towers

LONG-TERM CONSIDERATIONS Eskom is prioritising maintaining plant health over simply 'keeping the lights on at all costs'

Renewables firm spotlights commitment to gender diversity

By: Lumkile Nkomfe 23rd August 2024 Having recognised that gender diversity fosters creativity and innovation, green energy supplier G7 Renewable Energies highlights the importance of harnessing the full spectrum of human skills across all its operations to garner positive socioeconomic outcomes. G7 encourages women to take on... →

Grid challenges persist amid energy market changes

By: Nadine Ramdass 23rd August 2024 South Africa’s energy market is undergoing various changes, including the unbundling of State-owned power utility Eskom, as well as licence exemptions for independent power producers (IPPs). The latter has eased access for new projects, but has also affected grid access and publicly procured... →

SUPPORTING INTEGRATION Integrating renewable-energy sources, such as solar, require a stable grid

Survey reveals 60% growth in wind energy projects

By: Sabrina Jardim 22nd August 2024 The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has released results from the 2024 South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey (SAREGS), presented on August 21 by State-owned Eskom's National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) strategic grid planning manager Ronald Marais during a webinar... →

OptiPower, Coxabengoa JV awarded R1.2bn solar contract for mining company

By: Schalk Burger 21st August 2024 Energy infrastructure project delivery company OptiPower, which is a trading division of engineering and contracting company Murray & Roberts (M&R), has, in a joint venture (JV) with Spanish energy and water utility Coxabengoa, been awarded a contract to build a 100 MW solar PV plant for an... →

Mergence provides R160m funding to Solarise Africa for C&I energy solutions

By: Schalk Burger 20th August 2024 Mergence Investment Managers has entered into a strategic funding partnership with solar energy company Solarise Africa, providing R160-million in investment to be used to advance the deployment of commercial- and industrial- (C&I) scale renewable energy solutions across South Africa. The funding... →

Interest from IPPs aiming to connect renewables to grid surges to 133 GW

By: Terence Creamer 19th August 2024 The latest edition of the South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey points to there being massive and growing interest from developers of solar PV, wind, battery and hybrid plants to connect to the South African grid. Published jointly by Eskom Holdings’ National Transmission Company South... →

Photo by South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey 2024
There is growing interest from renewables developers to connect projects to the grid

AMEA signs 300 MW wind project PPA with Ethiopia

By: Schalk Burger 19th August 2024 Renewable-energy company AMEA Power has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) and an implementation agreement with utility Ethiopian Electric Power for the development and operation of a 300 MW wind energy project in Ethiopia. The $620-million project is expected to generate 1 400 GWh/y of... →

Wetility, A2Pay partner to provide affordable solar solutions for spaza shops

By: Sabrina Jardim 19th August 2024 In response to the impacts of frequent power outages on small businesses in underserved communities, particularly small and microenterprises such as spaza shops, an innovative partnership between Wetility, a local renewable energy fintech company specialising in solar-as-a-service solutions, and... →

Wärtsilä signs decarbonisation agreement for Madagascan power plant

By: Sabrina Jardim 19th August 2024 The renewal of technology group Wärtsilä’s operations and maintenance (O&M) agreement with QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM), which is part of the Rio Tinto group, has been expanded to include a decarbonisation agreement. Wärtsilä says the agreement is a groundbreaking offering in the energy sector... →

Photo by © QMM
Wärtsilä’s renewal of its existing Operations and Maintenance agreement with QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM), part of the Rio Tinto group, has been expanded to include a Decarbonisation Agreement

Wind bids fall well short of BW7 allocation, while PV bids far exceed provision

By: Terence Creamer 19th August 2024 The Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO) has confirmed that 48 onshore wind and solar PV bids with a combined capacity of 10 218 MW have been submitted under Bid Window Seven (BW7) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). The bids were submitted on... →

Solar PV with powerlines in the background

Open Access Energy secures $750 000 from Factor E Ventures

By: Schalk Burger 16th August 2024 Grid- and energy-optimisation software company Open Access Energy (OAE) has secured a $750 000 investment from technology innovations venture capital firm Factor E Ventures. The funding marks the initial tranche of a $1.5-million seed round for OAE, which is developing software solutions to... →

OAE CEO Gerjo Hoffman.

Inaugural summit to address energy access

16th August 2024 The inaugural Global African Hydrogen Summit, which will take place in Windhoek, Namibia from September 3 to 5, will supplement ongoing efforts to address the lack of access to electricity for more than 600-million people across Africa. The event is endorsed by the Ministry of Mines and Energy... →

HYDROGEN BUBBLE Using hydrogen for electricity generation will need to be adopted by Africa in order to meet local growing demands

Systems update collaboration promotes seamless transition

16th August 2024 African enterprises seeking to scale into new markets and build new capabilities need access to accurate real-time data about the total performance of the business. For one of Nigeria's leading renewable-energy providers, a reliance on outdated systems led to inefficiencies that were stifling... →

Hydrogen objectives gaining momentum

16th August 2024 Mauritania is positioning itself to capture up to 1.5% of the global green hydrogen market by 2050, and has large-scale projects in progress that are aimed at producing 12.5-million tonnes of green hydrogen each year by 2035. Last year, business management consultant Conjuncta, in partnership... →

STEFAN LIEBING The Conjuncta CEO will discuss the strategic potential of the country's green hydrogen market at the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2024 conference and exhibition

SATREPS projects aiding progression to green economy

By: Trent Roebeck 16th August 2024 Hydrogen and fuel cells solutions Center of Competence (CoC) HySA Infrastructure, at North-West University (NWU) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, is making a concerted effort to help South Africa and Africa transition towards a green economy by championing developments in... →

An image of one of the most recent construction projects carried out by HySA

NEW PRODUCTION FACILITY HySA Infrastructure continues to maintain energy production facilities in South Africa to improve local production expertise and consumer access to green hydrogen and ammonia

Facility continues to aid green economy transition

By: Trent Roebeck 16th August 2024 Hydrogen fuel cell generator producer CHEM Energy SA continues to contribute to South Africa’s transition to a greener economy, with it having completed the construction of its latest hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing facility in 2020 – at the Dube Trade Port, in KwaZulu-Natal. The facility ties... →

ANGELIN MAHARAJ CHEM Energy SA president Angelin Maharaj says that the CHEM fuel cells will be beneficial for the energy sector, the environment and the economy in South Africa

Zimbabwe commissions wind-energy study to help add generation

By: Bloomberg 15th August 2024 Zimbabwe has commissioned a study of wind power potential in the Southern African nation as part of an effort to increase electricity generation. The government hired Noubeg Power, a firm based in Cameroon, to conduct the research. The two-year project will install masts for data collection and... →

WesBank expands portfolio to include residential solar finance

By: Irma Venter 14th August 2024 WesBank has added residential solar finance to its portfolio, extending its product mix beyond vehicle and leisure finance products. The new addition gives personal clients in South Africa access to credit to finance the installation of home solar solutions. →

‘Necom 2.0’ to focus on system-wide constraints to electricity security and affordability

By: Terence Creamer 14th August 2024 Amid waning loadshedding, government and business have agreed to begin “repurposing” the National Energy Crisis Committee (Necom) to shift focus from interventions aimed at arresting the operational crisis at Eskom’s coal stations to addressing system-wide pressures, including growing concern... →

Energy Council of South Africa CEO James Mackay

Botswana Power awards 100 MW solar deal to Chinese group

By: Bloomberg 13th August 2024 A group of Chinese companies led by China Harbour Engineering Co has won a contract to build a 100 MW solar plant in Botswana, the country’s second utility-scale renewables facility. China Harbour is partnering with China Water and Electric Development Co and local investors for the project which... →

PPC signs agreement for solar energy at its Slurry, Dwaalboom plants

By: Darren Parker 12th August 2024 Cement manufacturer PPC has partnered with renewable-energy project developer Sturdee Energy for the construction and management of two 10 MW solar plants to provide supplemental power for PPC’s Slurry and Dwaalboom facilities in the North West province. The partnership signals a move towards... →

PPC and Sturdee Energy management teams sign PPA

Rooftop solar system expanded to meet 35% of Eastgate’s energy needs

By: Sabrina Jardim 12th August 2024 Property owner Liberty Two Degrees (L2D) has expanded the rooftop solar system at the Eastgate Shopping Centre, in Johannesburg, by nearly 6 MW. This adds to the 1.22 MW system installed at the mall during the first phase in 2020, taking its overall capacity 7.22 MW. →

An image depicting the Eastgate rooftop solar installation

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