Page 11 - AfrElec Week 40

AfrElec
NEWS IN BRIEF
AfrElec
Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme has procured 3,366 MW from 36 independent wind power producers.
“Besides strengthening our overall energy security, the South African wind energy sector has attracted ZAR80.6bn ($5.3bn) worth of investments since 2011, of which Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) accounted for ZAR13.2bn ($907m),” said Ntuli.
A strong political will has been a crucial ingredient in these achievements, Ntuli said. “ e value of the leadership demonstrated by the government at the moment cannot be understated – it is directly driving the return of investor con dence,” she explained.
Southern African wind
energy association
launched
A regional association that will focus on unlocking wind energy opportunities across Southern Africa has been launched at the annual Windaba wind energy conference in Cape Town.
Known as Wind SADC, the association will help countries boost their wind energy industries and facilitate companies to participate.
e nonpro t industry body is a partnership between the Africa-European Union Energy Partnership (AEEP), the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) and the SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy E ciency (SACREEE).
“It will work across 16 countries to ensure wind power is fully utilised in the journey towards universal access to sustainable energy services in Southern Africa, while boosting jobs, skills and economic development,” the partners said.
Wind SADC is expected to promote wind energy in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by acting as an umbrella body to its members, including industry associations from the wind sector in SADC
countries.
Speaking at the launch of the association,
African Union (AU) Commission energy head Atef Marzouk said it was vital to collaborate on energy across the continent.
“ e launch of Wind SADC supports regional integration and economic cooperation within the industry and beyond. It strengthens trade between member States, supporting our ambitious goal towards
an African Continental Free Trade area as outlined in the AU Agenda 2063. Importantly, it also helps build energy capacity, and unlock economic development and collaboration between countries in energy.”
RENEWABLES
Azelio sets up commercial
project in Sub-Saharan
Africa
Energy storage developer Azelio has agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Swedish sustainable energy solutions company STELLA Futura, to work together on setting up a small-scale commercial project in Sub-Saharan Africa.
e project’s objective is to demonstrate Azelio’s technology in a real-world commercial set-up, to pave the way for broader implementation in the region together with STELLA Futura.
e rst project will demonstrate Azelio’s solution by distributing renewable power around the clock to o -grid communities, storing energy from solar power and dispatching it on demand.
e 50 kWe plant is planned to become operational in Q3 2020. Two potential sites are under evaluation for the project, one in Ghana and one in Togo.
Both parties’ intention is for STELLA Futura to become one of Azelio’s sales, installation and O&M partners in the Sub- Saharan African region.
STELLA Futura is an independent energy
solution provider that partners with state-of- the-art storage technology solution providers to design, source and install complete reliable and safe solar powered energy solutions (on- or o -grid) for their customer pipeline in Sub- Saharan Africa. STELLA Futura is interested in Azelio’s technology for long storage hours applications. Azelio’s aluminum-based storage dispatches electricity when needed around
the clock. Fully charged, the storage system produces electricity for 13 hours at nominal power.
STELLA Futura has several projects in pipeline between 2021 and 2023 where Azelio’s technology can be used.
e forecasted power of these projects is 6.5MW with a storage capacity of 85MWh.
Siemens to develop
hydrogen fuel in Western
Australia
Siemens Australia has signed on as technology partner for a massive clean energy project that aims to make hydrogen for transport from 5GW megawatts of wind and solar power on the Western Australian coast.
e idea is to build a large scale – up to 5GW – solar and wind farm on the 120,000 hectare site capable of producing “renewable hydrogen” energy to be exported to Asian countries like Japan and Korea.
Hydrogen Renewables Australia chairman Terry Kallis announced the new “green hydrogen” project at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia conference in Perth on Tuesday.
Hydrogen fuel for energy is in the early stages of commercialisation but it is seen as
a potential missing link in the transition to clean energy, the challenges for which will be discussed at e Australian Financial Review’s National Energy Summit in Sydney on Wednesday and ursday.
Kallis and renewable energy developer Peter Sgardelis have negotiated a pastoral lease near Kalbarri north of Perth to commence development of the Murchison Renewable Hydrogen Project.
e project is at an early stage and is some distance from gaining development approval. But in scale and ambition it is comparable to Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes audacious $25bn project to create the world’s biggest solar farm, its biggest power storage system, and a 3,000-km cable to export energy to Asia from the Northern Territory.
Week 40 09•October•2019
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