New SA Renewable Energy / Energy Efficiency Fund

The South African government, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation have recently launched the Clean Technology Fund. Apparently they have around USD 500 million to invest. There focus areas will be:

• 1) The market development and retrofitting of 500,000 solar water heaters
• 2) The ESKOM 100MW CSP plant
• 3) The ESKOM 100MW wind farm
• 4) Energy Efficiency

Increasing potential energy efficiency investments through expansion of bank lending to commercial and industrial sectors through lines of credit to commercial banks, contingent financing to foster energy service companies, and financial incentives or risk products to market leaders.

See: http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/5488/world-bank-funds-half-million-for-renewable-energy-and-efficiency-in-south-africa

Frank

Three new forms of colonialism

Colonialism & imperalism is not dead. It continues to live in the hands of powerful companies and states. I give you three examples:

• Energy – Desertec, the largest project in the world, aiming to harness the sun in the Sahara and take its energy to Europe

• Water – Example of Israel and Palestine, where Israel is hoarding scare water supplies

• Land – Ethiopia, Madagascar, and many other places in Africa re leasing huge tracts of land on decade long leases to rich companies so that they may guarantee their food supplies, while continuing to compromise their own.

See:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/magazine/22land-t.html?_r=2

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/22/AR2009112201478.html?hpid=artslot

Frank

Green Technologies for Social Good

What do drip-irrigation, solar lighting, libraries, South African Zinc-Air batteries and hearing aids have in common? They are technologies aimed to help the poorest, their entrepreneurs honoured at the Tech Awards in San Jose.

The fascinating article is at: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/greentech-for-social-good

Frank

Monster wind turbine blade

Ever wondered how they transport the massive wind turbine blades? Well, here is a video of a 61.5m blade for an offshore wind turbine being transpoted to COP-15 in Copenhagen: http://about.elsevier.com/media/on_road_to_COP15.wmv

Want to know why wind is a good idea? Check this out: http://www.windpowerworks.net/

Frank

The Johanna Shenanigans

What IS going on with the supposed ultra-cheap South African PV invention from Dr Vivian Albers??

Back in 2006, it was announced that by 2007, 1000 modules/day (or 30 MW/year) would be produced from the German factory. By 2010, they were supposed to have THREE factories like this, one of which would be in SA. (See http://free.financialmail.co.za/innovations/06/1103/cinn.htm)

So one would expect a fair amount to have been produced to date. But how much actually has been produced today? Practically ZERO.

Yesterday it is announced that a large scale commercial project should start in Germany by the end of the year, and that in 2½ years a South African production facility will open. (See http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sa-thin-film-solar-plant-may-be-operating-within-two-and-a-half-years-2009-11-20)

Seems to me like they have some serious issues with ramping up their technology to mass production. Rumour has it that their ovens don’t work so well...

In the mean time, other companies are ALREADY brining similar PV technologies to market. See http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/miasole-starts-shipping-has-30-customers and http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/swapping-cigs-for-silicon.

Sounds to me like they have missed the boat and that their dear investors, SASOL and the CEF, who we love to hate, are being driven down the highway to nowhere. This sucks, South Africa could have become a PV leader, but all squandered.

Frank

Nukes off the table, but what about more Renewables?

No surprise that Nuclear 1 is off the table for now – just too expensive, and too long to build. But still our focus is on coal – expensive to the climate, and expensive to supply in the near future when, like oil, it starts to run short... Independent Power Producers are supposed to supply 14 GW by 2017, but it is likely that very little of this will be Renewables.

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/eskoms-base-load-expansion-to-focus-on-coal-for-now-2009-11-18

Frank

Burried in Earhtskin - A South African Nuclear Waste Documentary

"Who pays the ultimate price for our convenient electricity? Alternative solutions are blowing in the wind, but can we access them? Who holds the power and can a critical mass shift the paradigm? This is a must-see film for every concerned Capetonian.”

See http://whileyouweresleeping.wordpress.com/

Frank

ESKOM, EE and DSM

Just had the privilege of hearing Andrew Etzinger, MD of ESKOM, talk on EE & DSM. Some notes:

· Price increase will be 45% for 3 years, then 5%, then 9%.

· EE budget is 34 billion for 5.5 GW / 19423 GWh/year

I posed the question to him about why ESKOM is driving both DSM (Demand Side Management) and EE (Energy Efficiency), since DSM is about managing the demand so you can sell more electricity, and EE is about reducing the amount of electricity sold? He replied that at the moment they are the only body with the capacity to do EE, and would like, in time, see that role go to some other body.

I say, will the NEEA (National Energy Efficiency Agency) please stand up, please stand up, and ask that the R34 billion rather go to them – I guarantee you that they can do significantly more with it!

Frank

RE: SAEEC & DoE Minister

I am currently attending the South African Energy Efficiency Conference, and the minister of energy, Dipuo Peters, just spoke. Here are my notes from her talk:

· There was a cabinet discussion yesterday on the National Integrated Resource Plan

o President asked – “Are there the necessary skills and resources?”

o Minister, after seeing the audience today, would reply: “Yes – they need to be deployed appropriately”

· Energy Sector = Critical for growth, criticial for poor South Africans

· Minerals gave form to industrialisation

· Cheap Energy has not promoted Energy Efficiency – they have been opposed to each other

o This is an unsustainable paradigm, supply orientated only

o Energy / GDP very high

· Energy = 80% of emissions

· Must do more RE & EE

· 2005 EE target - 12% against projected national energy usage by 2015

· Mines can do 15% with no cost / low cost technologies + good housekeeping

· Biofuels into mix for road freight

· Alternative ways for heating in low-cost housing

· Integrated Energy Centres for communities

· Technologies on the road map: Nuclear, wind, solar, CCS

· Have we done what is required? Do we live our lives according to what we preach? We all should be living energy efficiently

· Need more Energy Efficiency activists

Frank

RE: Is Africa selling out its farmers?

Great article on the farming dilemmas in Africa:

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN11358061

Thanks Annie for this.

Frank

The EE and RE strategy for SA in a nutshell

“In October, developed and developing countries endorsed a Clean Technology Fund (CTF) funding envelope of $500-million for South Africa's CTF Investment Plan (IP). The money will be used to help South Africa move closer to its vision of generating four percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2013, improving energy efficiency by 12% by 2015, and providing one-million households with solar water heating over the next five years.”

From: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sa-will-not-raise-renewable-goals---minister-2009-11-10

But will we even achieve these targets with all the dilly-dallying circus-ring performances at ESKOM and DoE?

Frank

The first solar boat to circum-navigate the world? Maybe

http://www.planetsolar.org/index.en.php

But maybe they should have stuck to wind...

Frank

Concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) market could reach 24 GW by 2020

679 MW of installed CSP capacity, 2000 MW under construction, & 88% of projects in Spain. South Africa? Thus far, zero. Crazy when one thinks our worst solar irradiation is better than the best in Spain...

http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/5008/concentrated-solar-thermal-power-csp-market-could-reach-24-gw-by-2020

Frank

RE 1,000,000 Solar Water Heaters

The target for Solar Water Heaters has been set at 1 million over the next 5 years. http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/solar-water-heater-rollout-target-easily-attainable-peters-2009-11-05

“Department of Energy acting DG Nelisizwe Magubane highlighted that for the target to be reached, no less than 200 000 SWH units would need to be installed a year.” Which at least goes to show that the DoE can do some math. It is my understanding that this would contribute approximately 50% of the 2013 Renewable Energy target of 10000 GWh.

The following policy is soon to come out:

· the finalisation of the SWH framework;

· provision of rules by the National Energy regulator of South Africa (Nersa);

· drawing up mandates for utilities to outline their responsibilities;

· ensuring building codes and regulations were aligned;

· assisting municipalities to draw up bylaws including SWH;

· and encouraging local manufacture.

It appears that this is still being driven by a Demand Side Management approach and not an Energy Efficiency approach. But nevertheless, it is an ambitious target, and I do hope they get it right!

I do also hope that in their policy they allow for all energy efficient water heating technologies to be used, as heat pumps can outperform Solar Water Heaters in terms of net energy consumed over a year, and they also reduce the winter energy demand, which is crucial in SA.

Frank

RE: ESKOM knew they would have coal shortages

Seems ESKOM is even more incompetent that I thought. 50% critical post vacancies during the blackouts period due to lack of coal, and not only that, they had warning of the looming coal shortage, and what did they do? They fired the person who warned them! More scary is the indication that we can expect ESKOM to have additional coal supply issues with coal in the short-term.

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/da-calls-for-maroga-to-resign-as-it-issues-details-of-confidential-eskom-skills-report-2009-11-02

Frank