OVERVIEW Renewable
OVERVIEW Renewable energy Green liquids and gases and battery storage are generating interest. With the Eastern Cape firmly established as the leading SECTOR INSIGHT wind power province, other innovative and important Aspen is going off grid. subsectors are making high their grade reserves presence of vanadium felt in the in the Bushveld Energy world in the Bushveld Complex. VRFB energy landscape. The decision by Bushveld Energy Bushveld to start producing divisions align vanadium with market demand forecasts battery electrolyte at its new facility in East London is an important In response to these assumptions and marker for that sector. The company intends findings, it is eventually Bushveld Minerals' assembling intention to vertically grow the vanadium company battery systems locally. through the supply of vanadium electrolyte by for Hive VRFBs Hydrogen for the energy storage SA as the The Coega SEZ has been chosen sector in the medium-term and establish location of a green ammonia project which will be fully operational a regionally-oriented assembly and by 2026. The project investment amount manufacturing is approximately capacity in the .6-billion, long-term: creating a global VRFB supply chain in principally focussed on the construction of green ammonia plant. South Africa with the added benefit of The main development partners are Built creating Africa a captive and market Hive for Energy Bushveld of the Minerals’ vanadium production. UK who have formed Hive Hydrogen SA but various other partners are Bushveld Energy was accordingly involved. Local salt manufacturer Cerebos established will supply in 2016 to desalinated capture a share water Bushveld Minerals makes vanadium to the project. Solar and wind projects of producing this attractive market 4 000MW and is will need DID YOU redox flow batteries (VRFB). exclusively focused on developing KNOW? to be built to supply the project with renewable and promoting energy. the role of vanadium the in oxygen the growing by global an energy electrolyser, scale, long duration Aspen off-grid – as Pharmacare well as will VRFBs are ideally suited for large- The ammonia will be separated from storage market through the energy storage minigrid – markets. applications and hydrogen and nitrogen will be combined development to of form VRFB green technology. ammonia take its Demand operations is expected to off grid by which will be stored in liquid form at a tank In doing at the so, Bushveld Port of Energy Ngqura, is from 2024 peak by between purchasing 2025 and power bringing the energy storage value chain 2030. where it can be exported around the world. to South It Africa can as be a means used of leveraging in fertiliser The study from also companies found that global electrolyte demand electricity is likely to peak from during the waste plastic. that generate and explosives. South Africa-mined and beneficiated vanadium. Bushveld Minerals will actively same timeframe and that Bushveld Gas company Afrox is another partner, support the although beneficiation of minerals there is no Minerals The would Aspen be able to factory compete cost on the edge intention currently to convert the oxygen mined in to South pharmaceutical-grade Africa into higher valueadded final products. market Africa but other regions, as well. effectively of for North not just the End electrolyte Lake is one of the product as that market is currently well served. Moreover, province’s the study found biggest that South manufacturing Another renewable energy investor Bringing the Coega the energy SEZ storage is Seraphim Africa serves concerns as the logical and base currently for VRFB gets 8% value chain to South Africa manufacturing. With the IDC as a partner, Solar Cell Manufacturing that is investing R362-million to increase the of its electricity from solar roof To realise the potential of VRFBs in energy Bushveld Minerals will benefit from the local content of its solar value chain. storage, Bushveld Energy’s first job was IDC’s important installations. stakeholder linkages A process with called to undertake a market study to identify the South African government, regulators, At the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ), several pyrolysis will convert plastic waste VRFB demand in Africa, as well as global utilities and other key players that are new renewable energy investors have signed vanadium up electrolyte in recent demand. months. In partnership with the Industrial Development for the energy storage industry – as they necessary into provide a synthetic a catalytic fuel. stimulus The first environmental authorisations, which cover Mossel Bay and Humansdorp could become Corporation (IDC) of South Africa, the have for the renewable industry to date. Coega, have been gazetted and are the parties first steps undertook towards a study in the second building This study the subsequently site of a prompted plant that produces half of 2016. This concluded in August Bushveld Energy’s first project: the of a 400km gas pipeline from the Mossel Bay to a planned 1000MW gas e-methanol from green hydrogen 2017 that favourable demand exists for deployment of a utility-scale VRFB, a project that and was co-developed gas created by Bushveld from locally- grows. power station at Coega. VRFBs, particularly in the utility (including transmission and distribution networks) Energy and the IDC with the system manusourced biomass. Three companies have signed an agreement to do a ONLINE RESOURCES A CENTURY OF INNOVATION feasibility TAKRAF Standardized study: ENERTRAG Primary and Secondary South Sizers are designed Hydrogen South Africa: www.hysasystems.com Africa, for comminution Earth & Wire of different and material 24Solutions. types. They offer ease of maintenance, reduced downtime and long equipment service life Independent Power Producer Projects: www.ipp-projects.co.za The ■abundant Easy, quick and safe changing wind of crushing and segments solar ■ Use of advanced wear resistant materials – hard-faced segments and picks South African Independent Power Producers Association: resources ■ Primary Sizer: of Feed the sizesarea from 1,000 would mm to 2,500 create mm – throughput up to 12,000 t/h www.saippa.org.za ■ Secondary Sizer: Feed sizes from 200 mm to 800 mm – throughput up to 6,000 t/h the renewable energy to form the ■ In-house Mineral Laboratory supports Sizer selection South African Wind Energy Association: www.sawea.org.za green hydrogen. ■ EDITOR'S CHOI factured by Bushveld Energy’s U technology partner, UniEnergy Technologies (UET) and deploye Eskom’s Research, Testing and Development (RT&D) Centre in Rosherville, South Africa. The V a peak of over 120 kWh, was com sioned during the last quarter o will be tested for a period of 18 m In parallel to the market stud Bushveld Energy and the IDC un techno-economic study to evalu merit of establishing a vanadium lyte production plant in South A Study results have indicated t Bushveld Energy can manufact dium electrolyte at globally com cost levels. The study determined the via establishing a scalable plant wi production capacity of 200 MWh annum that could easily scale to more times that capacity, as de The scope of the project will e the construction of an electroly EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2023/24 28 TAKRAF Africa 96 Loper Avenue, Aeroport, Spartan Kempton Park, 1619, South Africa T: +27 11 201 2300 takraf.afr@tenova.com www.takraf.com
Education and training Vaccines are being developed at Walter Sisulu University. Stage two of a vaccine-development programme has begun at Walter Sisulu University, the result of a funding initiative led by CHIETA, the chemical industries’ SETA. In 2021, an amount of R3.5-million was allocated for research and skills development in the vaccine programme headed by Professor Markus Depfenhart and which also included North-West University. Yershen Pillay, CEO of CHIETA, acknowledges the significance of the vaccine development and the impact of the results of the first pre-clinical trial. “These results indicate that the collaborative initiative by WSU, North- West University and Prof Depfenhart is well-positioned to develop a novel, safe and effective DNA vaccine against respiratory diseases in South Africa, which forms the basis for the second pre-clinical trial.” Walter Sisulu University has also been allocated R350-million for renovations by national government, including laboratories, residences and ICT equipment. WSU and the University of South Africa (Unisa) offer vocational training (diplomas) and academic programmes (degrees). Nelson Mandela University’s Missionvale Campus now offers the MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) qualification. Walter Sisulu University is the other academic medical facility in the province. A R50-million science centre, named after Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu, has been built in Cofimvaba. The Eastern Cape has eight Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) colleges, most of which have more than one campus: Buffalo City, Port Elizabeth, Lovedale, King Hintsa, Ingwe, King Sabata Dalinyebo, Ikhala and Eastcape Midlands College. The National Department of Higher Education has invested R2.8-billion to improve infrastructure at 16 TVET Colleges across the country. Upgrades at several campuses have been completed while the Ikhala College campus in Sterkspruit is under construction. Rhodes University has a strong reputation for research, which has been enhanced by the addition of the Biotechnology Innovation Centre. The University of Fort Hare is leading three innovative studies into biogas, including a project investigating compressed biogas for public transport. A new Investec Promaths Centre was opened in the Eastern Cape in 2022. Investec’s Corporate Social Investment Division (CSI), in partnership with Kutlwanong Centre for Maths, Science and ONLINE RESOURCES Eastern Cape Department of Education: www.ecdoe.gov.za Promaths: www.investec.com/promaths Technology Innovation Agency: www.tia.org.za SECTOR INSIGHT OVERVIEW Investec and Kutlwanong have opened a Promaths Centre. Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash Technology, offers extra classes in mathematics, science and technology in grades 10 to 12. The Eastern Cape achieved poor mathematics results in 2021, with just 16% of candidates obtaining 50% and above. The Promaths programme contributed 5% of South Africa’s distinctions in mathematics and science in 2021. There are 16 such centres in the country, 10 of which are supported by Investec. Investec has also launched its Promaths Social Challenge where school pupils suggest projects to uplift communities in education, environmental conservation or youth unemployment. The top three prizes will benefit the winning teams’ schools in the amount of R500 000. ■ 29 EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2023/24
