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Energy efficiency should be a strategic priority for corporate South Africa
With Eskom struggling to generate enough electricity to meet
the country’s energy needs and power costs steadily climbing,
corporate South Africa has both the incentive and responsibility
to embrace energy management as a strategic imperative. That’s
the word from Jason Huang, director of Outreach Engineering, a
youth-led, non-profit organisation that aims to bring engineering
solutions to South Africa’s socioeconomic challenges. He says that
companies can make a big difference as well as save money by
implementing energy conservation and energy efficiencymeasures.
Says Huang: “Addressing the shortfall in power generation
capacity will take many years, which means that mandatory load
shedding will be part of our lives for a while. That means we, as
a nation, need to try and make as efficient use of the available
power as we can, with the business sector having an especially
important role to play.”
Loadshedding could be averted
Huang says that stage one load shedding sheds 1 000 megawatts.
That means load shedding could be averted if one million house-
holds/businesses each reduce their consumption by 1 000 W. A
substantial portion of this reduction in energy consumption can be
achieved by switching to energy efficient light bulbs and switching
off geysers, he adds.
Companies should be looking at reducing energy consumption,
not only to help lessen the blow of load shedding, but also because
energy prices are climbing with Eskom seeking high tariff increases
from the regulator.
Meaningful energy management
How should businesses begin to engage inmeaningful and quantifi-
able energy management initiatives? Huang suggests:
• Business decision-makers must make energy management an
operational priority and seek expertise to drive and implement
better energy management policies
• They must measure and verify energy management initiatives
to ensure these are quantifiable. This may also allow the busi-
ness to tap into tax incentives
• Companies must transition into green procurement practices
to sustain their energy management policies
• Businesses should help drive awareness programmes for
employees, customers and other stakeholders.
“If enough businesses take these actions, we’ll see a domino ef-
fect that helps reduce pressure on the grid and make for a greener
SouthAfrica at the same time,” Huang says. “This could also create
new jobs by creating demand for skills to drive energy manage-
ment initiatives.”
The project
Outreach Engineering’s current project is the Heal Baragwanath
project, a project designed to improve the reliability and efficiency of
the main operating theatre complex of the Chris Hani Baragwanath
Hospital in Soweto. It is working closely with management at Chris
Hani Baragwanath Hospital to revamp the hospital's backup power
system and improve energy efficiency across its infrastructure.The
work will help the hospital to keep operating throughout power
outages as well as improve the quality of care it offers its many
poor and needy patients
Enquiries: Email
info@outreachengineering.co.zaStudents’ solar car takes on the world’s best
Engineering students at the
North-West
University
will rub shoulders with the big
names in solar energy when they take part
in the BridgestoneWorld Solar Challenge in
Australia. Following the NWU’s successes
with their participation in the local Sasol
Solar challenges in 2012 and 2014, the
team decided to build a better and faster
vehicle propelled by solar energy.The first
competition in which the NWU competed,
covered more than 5 000 km and this team
and that of the Tokai University in Japan
shared the laurels.
According to Professor Albert Helberg,
team leader, they have now harnessed new
technology to make the new vehicle faster,
lighter, more effective and stronger.This ve-
hicle is propelled by the amount of energy
used by a hair drier.The competition takes
place from 18 to 26 October and starts in
Darwin in the north of Australia fromwhere
45 vehicles from 25 countries will be racing
more than 3 000 km across the country to
Adelaide. “We should cover the distance
in seven days but we are aiming to do it in
five days,” says Helberg.
Enquiries: Johan van Zyl.
About Outreach Engineering
Outreach Engineering is a youth-led non-profit organisation with
a unique approach to tackling public healthcare problems in
South Africa. The organisation works alongside the government
to address infrastructural shortfalls in South African public hospi-
tals, with a specialist focus on energy efficiency and engineering
services. By helping public hospitals to operate in a more stable
and reliable manner, it aims to improve the quality of patient care.
Outreach Engineering has partnered with the University of the
Witwatersrand and benefits from the experience of some of the
most highly regarded electrical engineers in the country. Other
contributors include industry leaders such as Werksmans Attor-
neys, Grant Thornton and Idea Engineers. Outreach Engineering
is a registered non-profit company, non-profit organisation and
Section 18A-approved public benefit organisation.
ENERGY + ENVIROFICIENCY
ROUND UP
Jason Huang,
director Outreach
Engineering.
Electricity+Control
September ‘15
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