Green Economy Journal Issue 60

NEWS & SNIPPETS
NEWS & SNIPPETS
TECH INTELLIGENCE IN ONSHORE WIND SECTOR
With years of operation in the Asia markets and currently ranked
among the top 10 global wind turbine suppliers, SANY Renewable
Energy (SANY RE) remains resolute in offering top-tier wind power
solutions to the African market.
SANY RE who makes its debut Windaba appearance this year,
recently unveiled the latest 919 wind turbine platform. The 919
platform adopts a more integrated design with shared structural
components such as hub, main shaft and front bedplate. Blades,
gearboxes and electrical systems are designed as modular systems
to cover 8.5MW to 11MW products with rotor diameters ranging
from 214m to 230m through different combinations, significantly
enhancing the reliability of R&D.
Looking ahead, SANY RE will remain focused on its technological
vision to develop industry-leading wind turbines with stronger
intelligent capabilities and providing cost-effective wind energy
solutions to lower the costs of wind farms.
LOCALISATION IS LEKKER
By Mamiki Matlawa, ACTOM
SA has been involved in the green economy space since 2011
when the government introduced the REIPPPP. Thus, local
organisations have a wealth of experience in manufacturing the
balance of plant for renewable energy products, including in the
areas of EPC, financing, operation and maintenance.
These homegrown skills could be harnessed to overcome our lag
in the space and be exported to the rest of the continent. However,
to successfully develop SA’s domestic manufacturing capabilities
and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, a comprehensive
approach is vital for companies providing end-to-end services.
Key to this are mechanisms such as the African Continental Free
Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which aims to achieve the free movement
of physical goods throughout the African Union. Recently, the five
member states of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
ratified the AfCFTA agreement. SACU has also submitted its joint
offer of tariff concessions, which is currently being verified by AfCFTA.
The AfCFTA agreement is expected to open trade opportunities
between African manufacturers, increasing regional demand for
equipment and services and driving access to new markets. This
will enable African manufacturers to develop economies of scale,
which will position them to effectively compete with foreign
companies in the renewables space.
According to Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies senior
economist, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, SA has imported R35-billion
worth of solar panels since 2010. Montmasson-Clair says that SA
has imported R12-billion worth of solar panels so far in 2023 –
equivalent to 2 200MW of generation capacity. It is estimated that
South African households and businesses have installed 4 400MW
of rooftop solar to date.
The scope for African manufacturers in the green economy
is vast, but the continent needs to expand the supply chain
in this space by effectively harnessing initiatives such as the
AfCFTA agreement to build economies of scale. It is only through
the localisation of the renewable energy industry that local
manufacturers can hope to compete with large-scale and wellestablished
foreign suppliers.
BELIEVE IN BETTER
WWF South Africa is proud to announce its latest Believe in
Better campaign, an inspiring call to action designed to ignite
hope for a brighter, more sustainable future in our cherished
nation. As South Africa approaches the 2024 elections, this
campaign serves as a powerful reminder of our shared national
vision – to heal the wounds of the past and pave the way for a
brighter, more promising future for our country.
WWF South Africa wishes to inspire its compatriots to be
heartened by its stories of success and embrace hope rather than
despair. It wants everyone to Believe in Better, three words that serve
as a balm against the constant barrage of negativity we face from
all directions and an uplifting reminder of the value of believing in
something good.
At the heart of WWF’s mission lies the protection of our invaluable
natural heritage and the ambition to build a future in which we all live
in harmony with nature. The multimedia campaign, #BelieveInBetter,
not only celebrates some of WWF’s major conservation milestones
but also illustrates the positive leaps that are possible when people
from different walks of life come together.
Restoring Springs, Reviving Communities
WWF’s partnerships have yielded a wide range of accomplishments
to safeguard the natural systems vital for clean drinking water, food
production, fisheries, and ecosystem health. Despite challenges
such as a growing population, ageing infrastructure, and increasing
industrial demands that threaten our ecosystems, WWF tirelessly
works to protect our land, wildlife and vital water sources.
One noteworthy initiative is the focus on natural springs in the
Drakensberg areas of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where
communities struggle to access clean water due to inadequate
municipal infrastructure and the impact of invasive alien trees. By
bringing together a range of donors and working with communities
and partners, WWF has helped secure 44 natural springs in the
grasslands of the Eastern Cape and has expanded this work to the
Enkangala Drakensberg Water Source Area.
On the wildlife front, WWF’s Black Rhino Range Expansion
Project is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, having worked
tirelessly over the last two decades to grow the populations of this
critically endangered species in partnership with landowners and
communities. WWF’s Land and Biodiversity programme has also
added extensively to the country’s network of national parks and
other protected areas.
Dr Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF South Africa, comments:
“Environmentalists are, by their very nature, agents of hope. In our
work, we have plenty of evidence that hope, supported by action,
is far more powerful than the strangely seductive slide into despair.
Just as we need to remember how far we’ve come as a society; we
need reminding of just how exceptional South Africa’s natural and
social endowments are. We need to keep faith in each other and
appreciate that together we can transform our vision of a more
sustainable future into a reality.”
SAPVIA ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP
As SA’s solar industry gains unprecedented momentum, concerns over the quality of solar
PV installations have also become more common. Addressing this pressing issue head-on, SAPVIA is
redoubling its efforts to instil public confidence.
SAPVIA has recently announced its strategic partnership with Bravo Scan, an Approved Inspection
Authority (AIA) endorsed by the Department of Employment and Labour, thereby reinforcing
its commitment to quality assurance and compliance monitoring in the bourgeoning solar
PV installation sector.
The Association’s PV Green Card Programme stands as an industry hallmark for quality assurance,
states Dr Rethabile Melamu, CEO of SAPVIA. “The SA public has come to trust our PVGC-accredited
members for solar PV installations that adhere to the highest quality standards.
“Collaborating closely with our new quality assurance partner, Bravo Scan, we aim to further
intensify the objectivity and rigour with which we oversee the activities of our certified PV Green
Card installation companies,” Melamu says.
She explains that Bravo Scan will be integral to skills development within the PV Green Card
ecosystem and will also assist with inspections of installations.
“This will allow us to further improve quality and compliance, making sure that we’re making the
most of our abundant solar energy resources at every installation site. Bravo Scan’s endorsement by
both the Department of Labour and SANAS gives an additional layer of credibility and authority to
the PV Green Card,” Dr Melamu adds. This partnership also aspires to enlighten end-users about their
responsibilities in selecting credible solar power installation companies.
Dr Rethabile
Melamu, CEO
of SAPVIA.
NEW CLOUD CARBON CALCULATOR
IBM has launched a new tool to help enterprises track
GHG emissions across cloud services and advance their
sustainability performance throughout their hybrid, multicloud
journeys. The IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator – an
AI-informed dashboard – can help clients access emissions
data across a variety of IBM Cloud workloads such as AI,
high-performance computing and financial services.
Based on technology from IBM Research and through a
collaboration with Intel, the tool uses machine learning and
advanced algorithms to help organisations uncover emissions hot
spots in their IT workload and provides them with the insights to
inform their emissions mitigation strategy.
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