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South Africa has a unique situation that gives the country access to many reliable renewable energy sources. These include wind, solar and tidal and industry is slowly but surly starting to gear up for a greener lifestyle.
- These are some of the projects that as on the table already.
- Eskom has a 3.2 MW demonstration wind farm at Klipheuwel in the Western Cape.
- The 4-turbine, 5.2MW Darling wind farm in the Western Cape started producing electricity in 2008 and remains the country’s only commercial wind farm.
- Irish company Mainstream Renewable Energy, in partnership with local outfit Genesis Eco-Energy, are planning to build some 18 wind farms in the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape, including 30 and 40 MW projects near Jeffrey’s Bay and Colesberg respectively.
- Eskom has proposed a 100 MW wind farm at Koekenaap near Vredendal in the Western Cape.
- Belgian company Electrawinds recently announced a partnership deal for a 25-turbine wind farm at Coega in the Eastern Cape.
- The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality plans to build a wind farm with at least 10 turbines.
- UK-based Renewable Energy Systems has proposed to install around 300 MW of wind energy projects in the Western and Eastern Cape.
- The planned St Helena Bay wind farm on the West Coast is expected to produce 50 to 80 MW of electricity.
- A 300 MW wind farm project near Caledon in the Western Cape was announced earlier this year.
- The Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm project in the Eastern Cape aims to produce about 40 MW by 2013.
- In October last year, government and the Clinton Foundation signed an agreement to establish the country’s first “solar park”, which is to deliver up to 5 000 MW of solar electricity to the national grid.
- Cape Town start-up Aurora Power Solutions is developing a 200 MW portfolio of solar power projects.
- Eskom is planning a 100 MW concentrated solar power demonstration plant near Upington.
- A factory for thin-film solar panels is to be built in Paarl.
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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This article from IOL explains what the electricity hikes are planned to cover.
The number of households that have taken up Eskom’s solar water geyser subsidies has rocketed in the past month since the utility more than doubled the geyser subsidy from around R2 500 to around R7 000. This means that almost half of the cost of the solar geyser will now be covered by Eskom. When Eskom launched its solar water subsidy programme at the start of 2008, it aimed to subsidise 1 million geysers nationally over five years. But in the first two years of the subsidy’s being in place, only 2 000 households had taken up the offer.
After Eskom announced the big subsidy increases in mid-January, it received 762 applications for subsidies in a month.
About 40 percent of a household’s electricity bill goes to pay for heating the geyser.
“With the increased subsidies, Eskom pays almost half the cost of the solar geyser. We were motivated to increase the subsidy by a growing concern that we needed to save electricity more aggressively,” said Andrew Etzinger, a general manager at Eskom. “We need to get 200 000 installed a year.
“With the bigger subsidies, the householder will recover his investment within five years, and then be getting free hot water.”
Etzinger said the electricity saving on a million solar water geysers would amount to 650MW. This is equivalent to one third of the power generated by Koeberg’s two nuclear reactors.
The money to pay for the subsidies will come out of Eskom’s electricity price hikes.
“It was part of our demand-side management programme, which formed part of the application to Nersa, so the cost will be recovered through the new tariffs.
“It is a lower cost alternative to building a new power station.”
The amount of the subsidy varies in relation to the amount of electricity the geyser saves. Those which save the most receive the highest subsidy. All have to be SABS approved
“Householders can go online to www.eskom.co.za/dsm and they will see suppliers in their region and different makes and sizes.
“You choose a supplier, he installs the geyser, you pay the full cost and you both fill in the form he has. You send this, with proof of residence, to the Deloitte branch in your area, and if it is all correct, the turn-around time to get your subsidy is two weeks,” Etzinger said.
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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This past week has brought some relief to areas facing water scarcity as rain causes dam levels to rise.
Dam Name
|
River |
Feb 22 % full |
March 3 % full |
| Groendal Dam |
Swartkops River |
42.2 |
42.2 |
| Ernest Robertson Dam |
Groot Brak R |
76.2 |
100.3 |
| Garden Route Dam |
Swart River |
25.8 |
31.8 |
| Hartebeestkuil Dam |
Hartenbos River |
49.6 |
49.8 |
| Impofu Dam |
Krom River |
52.4 |
51.9 |
| Kromrivier Dam |
Krom River |
17.7 |
17.0 |
| Wolwedans Dam |
Groot Brak River |
31.3 |
34.4 |
| Korentepoort Dam |
Korinte River |
28.5 |
28.5 |
| Duiwelshok Dam |
Duiwenhoks River |
23 |
29.2 |
| Gamka Dam |
Gamka River |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| Gamkapoort Dam |
Gamka River |
37.4 |
101 |
| Kammanassie Dam |
Kammanassie River |
11.9 |
11.8 |
| Leeugamka dam |
Leeu River |
1.2 |
17.9 |
| Miertjieskraal Dam |
Brand River |
0.1 |
0.1 |
| Stompdrift Dam |
Olifants River |
11.1 |
18.8 |
| Kouga Dam |
Kouga River |
37.5 |
37.0 |
| Beervlei Dam |
Groot River |
0 |
0 |
| Loerie Dam |
Loerie Spruit |
25 |
32.3 |
| Haarlem Dam |
Groot River |
23 |
26.7 |
| Darlington Dam |
Sondags River |
31.1 |
34.5 |
| Bridle Drift Dam |
Buffalo River |
35.5 |
34.9 |
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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At a recent government infestructure development media breefing, no representitives from the Department of Water Affair were present. This behaviour adds fear to the concerns of waste water treatment plants around the country.
This story from Times Live
“Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica is on a state visit [to the United Kingdom] with the president… Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone [else] in the room,” government communications official Neo Momudu told journalists at Parliament, who had posed questions on the issue.
She apologised, and said questions raised would be forwarded to the department.
The absence of anyone from water affairs comes against a background of reports that only 32 of about 980 waste water treatment plants around the country comply with regulatory requirements for the safe discharge of treated sewage water.
According to a document distributed at the briefing, an amount of R195 million was allocated for the 2009/10 and current financial years “for the upgrade and refurbishment of municipal waste water treatment works”.
One question raised was whether this was enough to solve the problem.
It has been reported that levels of E. coli bacteria – caused by the discharge of untreated sewage – have risen dramatically in recent years in many river systems around the country.
Among other things, the briefing document states: “It must be noted that South Africa is reaching the limits of its fresh water resources and therefore a concerted effort towards water conservation is needed quite urgently.”
The department has been sitting on a copy of a so-called “Green Drop” report for the past several months. The report contains an analysis of sewage treatment plants around the country.
In January this year, the Democratic Alliance speculated in a statement that the months-long delay in its release was “primarily due to its shocking content”.
Sources within the department, who declined to be named, have confirmed to Sapa there are “major problems” at sewage treatment plants around the country.
In a written response to a question earlier this year, the department said the delay in issuing the report was due to it “finalising our consultation” with affected municipalities.
“A rushed release of this report would not do anything towards solving whatever problems must have been identified,” it said at the time.
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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 Would you be drinking out of this? About 1,000 residents of Maboloka Township outside Brits, North West, took part in a service delivery protest to complain about the poor quality and scarcity of their water
The residents, who live near Hartbeespoort Dam, said they have been without running water since December and that the water which the Madibeng Municipality supplies in trucks is insufficient, dirty, and makes them ill.
Residents told The Times that Maboloka Township has 18 sections with 100 residents each. Every three days one truck makes a water delivery.
Sikho Sikhosana, a resident, said: “We were told to boil water that we get from the river, but we have no electricity.”
For the full story visit, times live
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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Commercially the reuse of grey water has long been neglected. This has in part been because water conservation has not, until recently, been in the spotlight. Individual property owners, government institutions and commercial property managers and developers are awakening to the fact that we are living in a country where water scarcity is becoming a reality.
As all major water resources across our country have been harnessed to supply the ever growing demand for potable water, we are left to to explore the possibilities to augment our water supplies.
The only water reservoir left that our country would be able to top into, to increase our fresh water supply, is the ocean. This however comes with the great cost associated with the desalination of sea water and the ever increasing price of electricity.
Other than desalination, the only option left is to cut down on our current fresh water consumption, “water use optimization“. Many South African household have already reduced their fresh water footprint by investing in various water saving devices and becoming water wise. However the commercial sector is still in its infancy phase of initiating water saving initiatives.
The reuse of grey water to flush toilets is gaining popularity in commercial properties, especially in apartment buildings. This is due to an almost equal volume of water being used for washing (Showers, baths, hand washing, and laundry) and toilet flushing.
These buildings are charged a fixed tariff for their fresh water demand as well as a fixed tariff for their sewage. The typical sewage charge for an apartment building in calculated at 90%, by volume, of the fresh water demand and this tariff is charged at a higher rate than fresh water.
By installing grey water reuse systems these properties are able to half their fresh water expenses and their sewage charge.
 Water Rhapsody Second Movement uses grey water to flush toilets. Save up to 45% of water in apartments buildings For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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1. U2 Will Help Raise Money for Turkish Geothermal Plant – The environmentally and socially conscious, and outrageously popular band U2 announced it will not only purchase carbon offsets to balance the carbon footprint of its tour, but has also asked its fans to purchase offsets to balance out the greenhouse gas emissions they produce while travelling to the concert. The offsets will support four clean energy power plants.
2. New GE Study Shows Canadian Wind Farms’ Profits Would Exceed Government Investment – General Electric has released a study which shows if the Canadian federal government invested $1.5 billion CDN in developing wind farms, it would recoup its costs and earn revenue within 25 years. Stimulate the economy and generate clean energy, not a bad political move.
3. Italian Solar Market is Hot – Last November the Italian solar market grew by more than 10% alone. This growth has not been lost on solar companies. SunPower Corp. recently purchased SunRay Renewable Energy in large part because of its strong connections in the Italian solar industry. Analysts expect Italy’s solar capacity to increase 50% by the end of 2010.
4. Fuel From Fish Tank Residue: The Latest Look At Algal Biofuel’s Potential – Sandia Laboratories has stated that algae has the potential to displace large amounts of diesel and jet fuel in the near future as long as it can crossover some key obstacles.
5. UNEP Report Shows Current Emissions Targets Are Not Enough to Prevent Devastating Climate Change – The United Nations Environmental Programme has released a report which indicates that the emissions pledges made in the Copenhagen Accord will not prevent a global temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius — the tipping point for global warming.
6. Pepperbox Studio Makes Music Using Renewable Energy – Ever wondered what it would be like to live completely off-the-grid? Well, musician Kristina Stykos from Vermont can let you know. Stykos runs her home and recording studio on energy generated from solar, wind, and biomass. She also has incorporated some important energy efficiency measures.
7. U.S. Department of Energy Reports on Environmental Effects of Hydropower – Marine energy technologies such as wave and tidal power are viewed as a gold mine of untapped energy potential. Yet, there are still many questions about the nascent technologies, particularly if the machinery will hold up. The U.S. Department of Energy looks at an important question that has not come to the forefront: the environmental effect of putting massive machines in the oceans.
8. American Utilities: Hot for the Smart Grid and Warming to Renewable Energy – A new survey shows that American utilities are investing more capital and resources in information technology and smart grid development than ever before. They are also increasing their renewable energy portfolios, albeit with a little less enthusiasm.
9. ADM: The Greening of Big Agro – ADM has made a name for itself as the middle-man in the agriculture business. Now, it wants to become the super-man of the ethanol business. It is the world’s largest corn ethanol producer and it is now engaged in serious development of advanced biofuels.
10. Government Study Shows U.S. Wind Resources Larger than Previously Estimated – The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has discovered that American wind resources are enormous. The NREL’s study revealed that America’s continental, onshore wind resources could generate almost 37,000,000 gigawatt-hours annually. This is more than nine times current U.S. electricity consumption. Imagine what the wind resources would look like if the U.S. ever got moving on its offshore wind development?
This story from energyboom.com
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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With Eskom in crisis and the price of electricity set to rise dramatically over the next 2 year, it is becoming increasingly important for South Africans to change the way we use power. Not only will it be necessary for us to use electricity more sporadically but also to use more energy efficient appliances.
With the typical household using between 230kWh to 340kWh per person per month, currently costing 64 cents a kWh in Cape Town and this price set to double in the near future. Many of us will have to act soon if we still wish to have the luxuries that the use of electricity can brings us. (eg. refrigerated / frozen food, TV, microwaves, home security, radio, clean clothes, lights at night.)
By using less electricity you will not only reduce you carbon footprint but you can also save money, particularly as our era of cheap electricity is coming to an end. Something else to consider is if we as South African use less electricity then there is a reduced likelihood of us experiencing power outages.
Ways to stop throwing your hard earned money into the coal burning power-generating electricity plants is to start making some changes to the way you consume power. Some of these will become “must does” of tomorrow if we are to still have money left over from our paychecks. These include:
1. Energy-efficient lighting: Though compact fluorescent lights bulbs (CFL) are still about 4 time as expensive as traditional incandescent lights where 90% of the power is lost to heat instead of light they .Not only do they consume 20% less electricity but also last 6 times longer. They pay for themselves within a couple of months.
2. Install a Solar water-heater: Use all the free energy available to you and convert the suns power into hot water. Solar water-heaters can save between 30% to 40% of your residential energy bill. Other energy efficient tactics would be to wrap you geyser in a thermal blanket and turn the thermostat to about 55 degrees C. Put your water heater on a timer so it only comes on at certain times when you will be using hot water.
For the Typical Household electricity use breakdown click here.
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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Second movement reuses grey water (used water from baths, showers, hand washing basins, and laundry) for re-use in toilet flushing. The grey water is treated and stored in a chamber; from there it is pumped directly to each individual toilet pan, as necessary. As the treated grey water is pumped directly to the pan there is no need for a cistern. Instead of the usual flush handle there is a bell push mounted on the wall, when the bell push is pressed the toilet flushes until the bell push is released. The bell push is 12 volt, making it safe to use without the possibility of getting shocked.
Water Rhapsody Second Movement uses grey water to flush toilets. Save up to 45% of water in apartments buildings For online product demonstration of our Second Movement system click here.
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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Below are the current dam levels as published by the CSIR for February 22ndth 2010.
Dam Name
|
River |
Feb 15 % full |
Feb 22 % full |
| Groendal Dam |
Swartkops River |
43.2 |
42.2 |
| Ernest Robertson Dam |
Groot Brak R |
79.2 |
76.2 |
| Garden Route Dam |
Swart River |
26.4 |
25.8 |
| Hartebeestkuil Dam |
Hartenbos River |
50.4 |
49.6 |
| Impofu Dam |
Krom River |
52.9 |
52.4 |
| Kromrivier Dam |
Krom River |
19.0 |
17.7 |
| Wolwedans Dam |
Groot Brak River |
32.3 |
31.3 |
| Korentepoort Dam |
Korinte River |
28.5 |
28.5 |
| Duiwelshok Dam |
Duiwenhoks River |
24.2 |
23 |
| Gamka Dam |
Gamka River |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| Gamkapoort Dam |
Gamka River |
|
37.4 |
| Kammanassie Dam |
Kammanassie River |
12.0 |
11.9 |
| Leeugamka dam |
Leeu River |
2.5 |
1.2 |
| Miertjieskraal Dam |
Brand River |
0.1 |
0.1 |
| Stompdrift Dam |
Olifants River |
11.6 |
11.1 |
| Kouga Dam |
Kouga River |
38.7 |
37.5 |
| Beervlei Dam |
Groot River |
0 |
0 |
| Loerie Dam |
Loerie Spruit |
20.3 |
25 |
| Haarlem Dam |
Groot River |
25.8 |
23 |
| Darlington Dam |
Sondags River |
|
31.1 |
| Bridle Drift Dam |
Buffalo River |
|
35.5 |
For those of us living in the Buffalo City Municipal area I’ve added the stats for the Bridle Drift Dam.
For household water saving ideas and systems click on these links for more information, grey water reuse, rainwater harvesting.
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Against a global rainfall average of 870mm per year, South Africa receives a pitiful 450mm, making it the world's 30th driest country. Water Rhapsody, with 15 years experience in water conservation, is number 1 in South Africa in Grey water recycling systems and Rainwater harvesting systems.
Water Rhapsody a WWF Green Trust award winner can save us up to 90% of our municipal water bills.” Questions and Quotes Submit questions on how you can start reducing your water bills...
Request quotes on the estimated cost of installations...
Start your saving today...
Contact your dealer.
Alje van Hoorn
Cell: 076 481 3330
Email: alje@capewatersolutions.co.za
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