Electricity + Control

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Converter transformers for solar power solutions
South Africa is fast becoming one of the key producers of renew-
able energy. This was recently realised with the introduction of
the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement
Programme (REIPPPP) by the South African government.The first
three rounds of bidding amounts to 3 916 MW of renewable energy
that will feed into the national grid.
Facing ever-increasing worldwide energy demand, the reliable
and environmentally friendly use of natural energy sources is one
of the biggest challenges of our time. Alongside wind and water,
the sun – clean, CO2-neutral and limitless – is our most valuable
resource to generate renewable energy in South Africa.
Transformers are critical components in solar energy production
and distribution. Solar-power systems have special design issues.
The key to solar transformers is to understand and cater for all the
variables in every system.
Reliable Transformers recently participated in the construction of
an 86 MW Solar plant in Prieska in the Northern Cape. The scope
was to supply all the converter step-up transformers (42 units) in
the plant. The Solar plant connects to the Eskom grid, supplying
enough power for 20 000 homes. More than 270 000 individual
solar panels, spanning an area larger than 200 sports fields make
this installation one of the largest in Africa. ReliableTransformers'
custom design successfully passed lightning impulse and tempera-
ture rise type tests.
The actual manufacturing process took less than four months
and the goods were delivered on-time and within budget. Due to
the fact that most transformer parts are produced in-house at the
factory in Benoni, the company was able to achieve local content
quotient of more than 85%.
“Thanks to our sophisticated and advanced production plan-
ning and management software we were able to give our client
regular project progress and human resource utilisation updates
throughout the duration of the project,” said Chief Executive Of-
ficer Andre van Zyl.
He added, “As a result of this project, ReliableTransformers has
gained extensive experience in the design and manufacture of
solar PV transformer technology and we are now able to offer far
more efficient and economical solutions than ever before. Reli-
able Transformers is fast becoming a key innovator and supplier
in this expanding market and is proud to offer transformers that
are specifically designed for Solar Photovoltaic medium-voltage
applications. We are working to evolve the industry and change
the way we distribute power”.
Enquiries: Andre van Zyl, CEO.
Tel. +27 (0) 11 421 2333 or email
Belt rip and tear detection
for conveyors
Conveyor belts are used where materials need to
be transported from A to B, e.g. in mining, cement,
sand and gravel industries. A conveyor belt may
get damaged by sharp-edged stones/ materials or
become worn out during operation. Such damage
must be detected and the conveyor belt deactivated.
The new belt rip and tear detection system from ifm
electronic is used to reliably detect belt damage.
Enquiries or
email
ROUND UP TRANSFORMERS + SUBSTATIONS
Switchgear for fly ash plant
JB Switchgear was recently awarded a contract by Rula Bulk for the design,
manufacture and supply of a new containerised switchgear substation to replace
the old motor control centre at the Fly Ash processing plant at Matla, near Kriel in
Mpumalanga.With four state-of-the-art classifiers, Matla has an annual capacity in
excess of 800 000 tons of DuraPozz Pro. JB Switchgear supplied their well-known
Eagle series motor control centre and PLC panel, fitted into a specially modified
marine container.
Enquiries: Johan Basson.Tel. +27 (0) 11 027 5804 or email
or visit
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