Electricity + Control March 2015

ENERGY + ENVIROFICIENCY

ROUND UP

No quick fix to power crisis Alwyn Smith, spokesman for the South African Alternative Energy Associa- tion (SAAEA) , says that any fix for South Africa’s power crisis will take years. “We have left it too late.There are few, if any, solutions that could be put in place to turn the situation around in the short term.To be fair, this is not just the fault of Eskom. Eskom has been warning for years that this would happen unless more budget was allocated for maintenance,” says Smith. He believes that widespread net metering could alleviate the load shedding headaches facing businesses and citizens, and could go some way toward easing pressure on the national grid. Net metering allows residential custom- ers and businesses to install solar panels at their premises and store excess power within the grid, in return for ‘power credits’ when needed. Smith says that South Africa has been slow to move on creating an environment that allows for widespread net metering. He speculates that this is partly due to municipalities’ reluctance to give up the profits they make on reselling Eskom power. “Net metering would relieve plenty of the current issues, but now the question is – how to implement it quickly? This is not the sort of thing you can implement overnight. You need the right policies and systems in place. Net metering could be widely adopted quite quickly, and it wouldn’t cost the government a cent. And an independent 50 MW solar farm could be put in place in as little as eight or nine months,” he points out. Enquiries: Email alwyn@saaea.org Pocket the sun’s energy Following the success of the Sungrid Group (In2Brands) 2014 ‘Switch to Port- able Solar Power’ campaign, this year sees the launch of Solsave, a global brand with local roots. Ranging from 1 000 – 3 000Watt, it offers an answer to South Africa’s energy crisis across home, office, outdoor and emergency use. “South Africa is looking for solutions,” says Ryan Steytler, director of The Sungrid Group (In2Brands) . “Whilst we are passionate about portable solar power, consumers also want the comfort of something familiar.” The Solsave range comes with both on- and off-grid capability. Solsave offers consumers a full range of alternative energy choices comprising both smaller and heavier portable off-grid power options. Its flagship offering, the Solsave my-powa, a solar power bank making use of the latest Sun Power Cell (SPC) technology, is able to quickly generate power with a world record efficiency panel. Amere 10 hours of direct sunlight provides enough power to charge all essential devices including phone, tablet, camera, MP3 player, eReader, GPS, action cameras and smart watches. “But the real beauty is that for those who choose, Solsave’s my-powa can also be charged via a conventional wall plug (USB wall charger) for maximum convenience,” says Steytler. Enquiries:Talana Cole.Tel. 021 447 6849 or email talana@in2brands.co.za POWER-GEN Africa and DistribuTECH Africa Conference and Expo Cape Town International Conference Centre from 15 – 17 July 2015.

Reducing spread of fire South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, witnessed (on 19 February 2015) a test to reduce the spread of fire in temporary structures in informal settlements (shack fires). The test was conducted by the Department’s Working on Fire (WoF) and Eco-Furniture programmes, and other partners, at the Lanquedoc Sport Field in Stellen- bosch. Structures were built from the new material and dwellings based on materials commonly used in informal settlements, they were then set alight in order to compare the speed in which they burned and the extent to which fire spreads from them.The project was developed through a process in which the DEA and its partners have been looking at the potential of using invasive alien biomass in the con- struction of temporary structures while the pressures of formal housing are being addressed. If the new dwelling design and composite fire-boarding prove to be effective, the use of woody invasive alien bio- mass could play a meaningful role in the reduction of loss of life, property and livelihoods of millions of South African citizens. This would mean that the ongoing clearing of alien invasive timber fromwater- catchment systems would create not only jobs, but contribute to protecting lives. Enquiries: Email znqayi@environment.gov.za Red tides on West Coast The Department of Environmental Affairs has been monitoring the red tide in the West Coast inshore area which appears to be gone. The red tide is no longer covering a big area and there have been no further impacts on marine species. However, sam- pling of some of the areas is continuing to monitor the extent of the red tide and to look out for any fur- ther impact on marine species and the environment. Water conditions started improving on 15 February 2015.There were no further walk outs or washing up ofWest Coast Rock Lobsters or dead animals. In the light of the annual walkouts and growing concern with the presence of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), also known as red tides, in the upwelling region of the west coast of southern Africa, the Department has proposed a research programme to assess and monitor the formation and impacts of HABs. The department hopes that this will complement existing efforts by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Enquiries: Email znqayi@environment.gov.za

Electricity+Control March ‘15

48