ROBERT FUTTER Cresco director Robert Futter believes that a hybrid energy system is the future of energy in South Africa
Project finance and transaction advisory firm Cresco has recently supported South African mobile telecommunications corporation MTN in acquiring a hybrid energy system solution that incorporates diverse energy generation and storage sources, including gas, solar photovoltaic power, diesel generation, grid power and a battery energy storage system.
The five-tier hybrid system enables corporations to avert the negative impacts of loadshedding on in-house business processes and accommodate the process of load shifting.
“An optimal energy mix is key to a functioning and sustainable grid. Unfortunately, South Africa has limited technology options, and, in some cases, technology is not advanced enough,” says Cresco director Robert Futter.
Cresco aims to assist large corporations in procuring renewable energy (RE) solutions.
Cresco also helps organisations to adequately “decipher” the most effective ways of generating and storing the power that they collect from various sources to allow for the continuation of business without being affected by grid instability and loadshedding.
The company is also dedicated to helping clients understand the various viewpoints being offered by so-called energy experts, which often contributes to what Futter refers to as “energy noise”.
In doing so, Cresco intends to enlighten its clients regarding facts about energy and power generation technology, and the most appropriate options available to address related issues.
“In our typical engagement with clients, we do some energy one-on-one training, which covers key issues, myths and realistic scenarios and interventions that can be achieved,” says Futter.
Cresco also enables companies to move towards net zero, and meet decarbonisation targets and RE goals – factors that are becoming increasingly important worldwide.
Going forward, using its database of more than 200 real-life projects, Cresco has prepared an outlook for the energy market until 2040, which includes factors such as RE penetration levels, grid emission factors, all-inclusive cost of energy scenarios and a potential day-ahead pricing of energy.