North West Business 2017 edition

OVERVIEW
Energy
Generation and manufacturing hold great potential.
The sun shines in the North West, on average, 300 days of the year. In
addition, the province mines more platinum than any other place on
earth. These two facts combine to present a suite of opportunities
for energy generation and for the manufacture of equipment for
the energy sector.
A start has been made, but the potential for investors is massive. The
provincial unit of the Industrial Development Corporation is in discussion
with the German manufacturer of solar panels who go beyond simply
making the panels, they allow for horticulture under the farms. In this way,
the installation of a solar farm can create 35 jobs per megawatt, instead
of the usual average of 1.6 jobs per megawatt, and make a contribution
to tackling food security.
RustMo1, a 7MW solar farm at Buffelspoort, is already producing energy.
Local company Momentous Energy, in partnership with a community trust
(representing Lapologang and Tsakane) are behind the project which was
installed by German company, juwi Renewable Technologies.
This project is part of the national programme, the Renewable
Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme
(REIPPPP) which aims to add some 6 000MW to the national grid by
2020 (and 13 225MW by 2025).
An opportunity for solar panel market manufacturers is being promoted
by the North West Development Corporation at Mahikeng. Investors
are sought to manufacture and supply panels to farms, housing schemes,
the mining industry and government.
The Potchefstroom campus of the North West University is home to
HySA Infrastructure Centre for hydrogen production, storage and delivery.
onal strategy designed to make use of hydrogen and fuel cell technology,
particularly arising from platinum group metals (PGM).
South Africa’s nuclear-research centre is located at Pelindaba near
Hartbeespoort Dam, and is run by the South African Nuclear Energy
Corporation. The Nuclear Engineering Department at North West
University (NWU) is the only one of its kind in the country, and the
ONLINE RESOURCES
National Department of Energy: www.energy.gov.za
North West Development Corporation: www.nwdc.co.za
SECTOR INSIGHT
Fuel cell technology is an
important field of study.
• Manufacturers of solar
panels are showing
interest in investment.
National Department of Science
and Technology granted a chair
in Nuclear Engineering to NWU.
Bioethanol, biodiesel and methane
gas from waste and renewable
resources are among the types of
biofuels being investigated.
As a grain-producing area,
North West Province is obviously
well suited to supplying
feed stock for biofuel projects,
but a new set of national government
guidelines has seen the
emphasis in this nascent industry
shift towards finding fuel stock
from crops that are less likely to
affect food security. These crops
include sugar cane, sugar beet,
canola and sunflower seeds.
A debate is under way about
changing national policy to allow
surplus grain to be used for
energy production.
Sunflower seeds are very
suitable for converting into biofuel,
and the North West has an
abundance of this crop. Sweet
sorghum is a possible feedstock
for processing into bioethanol.
NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2017
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