There is undoubtedly awareness among South Africans that renewable energy is the way to go. But how feasible is it for the ordinary householder to switch to new, greener technology? “In a country such as South Africa where solar energy is abundant, the sustainability of its usage through solar geysers and solar panels is unquestioned”, says Dr Roula Inglesi-Lotz, senior lecturer at the Department of Economics of the University of Pretoria and headline speaker at the upcoming Clean Power Africa conference and exhibition from 14-15 May in Cape Town. She adds that solar power can be generated equally well in remote and urban areas because it need not be connected to the national grid.

“In private dwellings”, says Dr Inglesi-Lotz, “investment in solar geysers and panels pays off only after a few years therefore cost effectiveness has to be calculated in the long term. However, households cannot depend entirely on solar power. Energy cannot be stored in high volumes, which means that energy can only be generated and used when there is daylight.”

Green government support

Since 2009, the South African government has committed to providing support to the residential and commercial sectors wanting to install solar water heaters (SWH).According to the Department of Energy Affairs, a number of commercial banks, insurance companies, and benevolent donors are driving various SWH initiatives in different parts of the country. The mass rollout of SWHs is slow but gaining momentum. From April to 31 December 2010, 26 768 rebate-funded SWHs were installed.

It is unclear to what extent the South African economy has benefited from renewable energy because, according to Inglesi-Lotz, there has not yet been an orchestrated effort to evaluate the benefits. She adds:  “90% of electricity generated in South Africa is from coal burning sources. This means there have not yet been major changes in the energy supply mix. The lack of sustainability of alternative energy generation methods and the high costs have prevented investors and policy makers from favouring them.”
Consumers will turn to alternatives for their energy needs

Inglesi-Lotz says that in most cases, the cost of changing from traditional forms to alternative sources is too high for the average householder. She explains: “not only in a monetary sense, but also in the cost in time. In general the lack of specialised skills is a crucial element that keeps the country growing at a faster rate, particularly a lack of skilled people who can install solar heaters and geysers. Specialised services push up the costs. Universities and other institutions do therefore offer specialisation in the development of skills capacity regarding renewable energies.”

However, she believes that things will certainly change in future: “electricity costs are constantly rising and we are moving to a future in which the costs of installation and implementation of renewable energies will be comparable to traditional technologies. Demand for electricity from coal-burning generation will decrease and as a result, consumers will turn to alternatives for their energy needs.”

Clean Power Africa

Dr Inglesi-Lotz’s presentation at Clean Power Africa will be on “Renewable energy usage in South Africa: A comparison.” Previously known as Hydropower Africa and Solar Energy Africa, which ran successfully for over 6 years, Clean Power Africa will give an exclusive look at hydro, wind and solar projects and opportunities across the African continent. The event gathers major stakeholders in the clean power energy generation sector and will facilitate information exchange at the highest level. It will explore clean energy options for smarter generation as a feasible solution to fulfil Africa’s generation capacity needs. Clean Power Africa is co-located with the 13th annual African Utility Week.

Renewable energy in action

The event will also offer a unique site visit to three successful renewable energy projects in the Cape Town region including the Green Energy District in Montague Gardens with a state of the art manufacturing facility at AEG Power Solutions where over 60% of the components are locally sourced. Clean Power Africa delegates also have the opportunity to visit Africa’s largest rooftop solar installation at Vodacom in Century City. The 500kw installation supplies 65% of the peak power required for the Vodacom site.  At the Oldenburg Wine Estate a 44.65kw ground mounted solar installation provides much needed power on the farm.

Products on display

The African Utility Week exhibition will feature the latest clean power and energy efficiency solutions. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to source the latest technology for the development of solar as a mainstream energy source. Products on display will include:

• Energy Storage & UPS
• Solar Water Heating
• Mobile Solar Generators
• Invertors
• PV Panels
• Mountings
• Connectors and Junction Boxes
• Monitoring Systems
• Transformers and Monitors

Free technical workshops specifically for renewable energy include:

• Smart PV Inverter PVWD and Smart PV CT Integrated Solution
• Importance of the Solar Panel and potential growth for solar technology in the sub-Saharan region
• How to identify the challenges facing the building of renewable projects
• Finding appropriate renewable energy power solutions
• Sustainable energy solutions for businesses

Have you booked your seat?

Access to the exhibition is free of charge if you pre-register at www.clean-power-africa.com. Early bird conference passes are available until 14 April 2013.

The dates for Clean Power Africa are:

Exhibition & Conference: 14 - 15 May 2013
Pre-conference Workshops: 13 May 2013
Site Visits: 16 May 2013
Location: CTICC, Cape Town
Website: www.clean-power-africa.com

Contact:

Annemarie Roodbol, Communications Manager
Office: +27 21 700 3558
Mobile: +27 82 562 7844
Email: annemarie.roodbol@clarionevents.com

Event hosted by Spintelligent.