Western Cape Business 2018 edition

OVERVIEW
The West Coast was the site of two
of the country’s first experimental
wind farms. By the time the fourth
bid window of the REIPPPP closed
in 2015, the Western Cape had
been allocated 11 projects, six
wind and five photo-voltaic solar
power. The total capacity of these
projects totalled 592MW. Among
the foreign companies to engage
in renewable energy projects in
the province are Gamesa and
Acciona, Gestamp Renewables,
Vestas, Sunpower and JinkoSolar.
The Provincial Government
of the Western Cape is prioritising
energy in its plans, and this
includes generation (gas, biogas
and renewables), distribution and
energy-saving. The key points of
the provincial energy plan are:
• efficiency in the system
• move faster on renewable
energy
• move to gas.
Western Cape Minister of Economic
Opportunities Alan Winde
notes that the Department of
Agriculture, simply by carefully
recording its usage patterns,
has cut its electricity bill by
R1.7-million.
The National Cleaner
Production Centre (NCPC-SA)
promotes energy and water management
systems and standards.
The NCPC’s Industrial Energy
Efficiency Project saved more
than R1.7-billion in energy costs
between 2010 and 2015.
The Western Cape is lobbying
hard for the National Department
of Energy to allow Saldanha Bay to
be a site for a gas-to-power plant.
The site has existing 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.
A pilot plant to investigate one of the more sophisticated aspects
of solar technology is under way 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.
The South African Renewable Technology Centre (SARETEC) on the
Bellville campus of CPUT offers courses such as Wind Turbine Service
Technician and Solar Photovoltaic Service Technician and various short
courses such as Bolting Joint Technology.
The Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies is at the
University of Stellenbosch and 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.
ONLINE RESOURCES
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 Renewable Energy Council: www.sarec.org.za
South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre:
www.saretec.org.za
South African Wind Energy Association: www.sawea.org.za
Transnet Pipelines: www.transnet.net
91 WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018