Western Cape Business 2017 edition

OVERVIEW
patterns, has cut its electricity bill by
R1.7-million.
On top of this, the Western
Cape has its own private producers’
programme. “As I speak, there
are more than 2 000 private producers
in Cape Town,” says Winde.
These range from a solar panel on
the roof of a single private household
to major installations in the
Waterfront. Excess power is sold
to the city.
Winde is lobbying hard for the
national Department of Energy
to allow Saldanha Bay to be a site
for a gas-to-power plant. “There
should be at least 1 000MW at
Saldanha. If the private sector
and investors think it is a bad
idea, then that’s fine.” He clearly
believes that investors will think it
a very good idea to invest in a site
that already has bulk power consumers
like ArcelorMittal Steel. If a
gas plant is built at Saldanha, then
it could be a catalyst for the use
of gas in many other sectors such
as manufacturing and residential.
“Then gas plays a different
role in the economy,” says Winde.
“That is enabling a whole process
and it complements the work we
are doing. If you have solar and
wind power, then you need the
base, something to cover the
peak hours: gas can do that.”
About 100km south of
Saldanha, on the West Coast road
to Cape Town, is Atlantis, where
a green economy manufacturing
hub is under construction.
A number of companies have
already invested in making wind
turbines, ladders and platforms
for turbines and solar panels
among other things. With about
R680-million already invested,
and another R1-billion projected, the renewable energy economy is
making an impact.
There are many manufacturing opportunities. A pilot plant to investigate
one of the more sophisticated aspects of solar technology is
operating at the Techno Park in Stellenbosch. Photovoltaic Technology
Intellectual Property (PTiP) and German engineering company Singulus
Technologies have started making thin-film solar modules.
Funding for the project’s infrastructure came from the Technology
Innovation Agency, a unit of the Industrial Development Corporation
(IDC), and Stellenbosch University.
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Energy Institute is a
leader in research in the field of electricity, and is also responsible for
a regional publication relating to domestic use, DUE.
A unit based on the Bellville campus of CPUT teaches courses
related to renewable energy. The South African Renewable Energy
Technology Centre (SARETEC) offers courses such as Wind Turbine
Service Technician and Solar Photovoltaic Service Technician and
various short courses such as Bolting Joint Technology. By the end
of 2016, more than 1 500 people had attended courses at SARETEC.
In November 2016, SARETEC became the home of the Solar
Academy, with the support of German solar energy company,
maxx|solar energy.
The Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies is at the
University of Stellenbosch, while the University of Cape Town has the
Energy Research Centre. The University of the Western Cape is doing
research on the possibilities of hydrogen as an energy source.
A programme run by Green Cape claims to have engineered 21 000
tons in fossil greenhouse gas savings over five years through its Western
Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP). This is the equivalent
to annual electricity usage in 5 600 South African households. WISP
is a network of 300 businesses to share unused resources and create
value from “waste”.
ONLINE RESOURCES
African Wind Energy Association: www.afriwea.org
Eskom: www.eskom.co.za
Green Cape: www.greencape.co.za
National Department of Energy: www.energy.gov.za
National Nuclear Regulator: www.nnr.co.za
South African Photovoltaic Industry Association:
www.sapvia.co.za
South African Wind Energy Association: www.sawea.org.za
Southern African Solar Thermal and Electricity Association (CSP):
www.sastela.org
Sustainable Energy Africa: www.sustainable.org.za
95 WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2017