The plant, the first of its kind in Africa, was built on the premises and cost R22million.

It is a two-megawatt-power generation plant that uses methane to produce electricity.

The unveiling was attended by Deputy [...]]]> MTN unveiled its multi-million rand tri-generation plant to power its entire headquarters in Fairlands, Johannesburg, yesterday.

MTN "green" initiative

The plant, the first of its kind in Africa, was built on the premises and cost R22million.

It is a two-megawatt-power generation plant that uses methane to produce electricity.

The unveiling was attended by Deputy Minister of Communications Dina Pule.

Karel Pienaar, MD of MTN South Africa, said there was great pressure on companies to do more with less in a responsible and sustainable way.

Methane gas is piped 900km from Mozambique to Sasol in Secunda and then channelled from Sasol to Egoli Gas.

A grid at MTN headquarters is connected to Egoli Gas to transport the gas down a pipeline to the tri-generation plant.

Construction of the plant began in October 2008.

“This plant will also assist in reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the electricity consumption at our headquarters,” Pienaar said.

When the plant is fully operational it will produce two megawatts of power. MTN expects a return on investment within five years.

As a spin-off the plant will produce about 800 kilowatts of cooling for free used for the air conditioning process.

Source: Soweten

Solar light bulb

The Nokero N100 solar LED light bulb is meant to replace [...]]]> Here’s a bright idea for the planet. A Hong Kong-based company has introduced what it bills as the world’s only solar-powered light bulb with the hope of reaching millions of people with little or no access to electricity.

Solar light bulb

The Nokero N100 solar LED light bulb is meant to replace kerosene lamps as a lighting source in the developing world. The company says 1.6 billion people still lack sufficient access to electricity, and many burn fossil fuels for light, which can be dangerous and expensive.

The N100 solar bulb is about the size of a standard incandescent bulb and has four small solar panels in its rainproof plastic housing. Five LEDs and a replaceable NiMH battery inside provide up to four hours of light when the device is fully charged. People hang it outside during the day and then turn it on at night.

Weather, seasons, and latitude can affect charging times. Nokero asserts that one day of charging in the sun can provide about two hours of light, though charging near the equator can provide more. So on a cloudy winter day in northern latitudes, the bulb would probably not be able to replace a kerosene lamp, but on a clear summer day near the equator it would.

The LEDs are meant to last 50,000 to 100,000 hours, and the solar panels are rated to last 10 years. The life of the N100 is basically 5 to 10 years, according to Nokero representative Tom Boyd.

The cost? A single bulb is $15; a case of 48 costs $480. The company offers a “significant” discount when buying a thousand or more. It adds that the bulb pays for itself within months when used in place of a kerosene lantern. NGOs are considered to likely be the main buyers.

In addition to eliminating indoor air pollution and burn risks, consumers can cut 550 pounds of CO2 emissions over one year when lighting with the N100 instead of kerosene, Nokero says. Though the device’s lumen rating is unclear, the company says the N100 is five times brighter than kerosene lamps and uses only 1/200th the energy.

Source: CNET

To stay at the top companies are always looking for ways to cut costs and deliver client expectations. As [...]]]> It is not surprising that top South African companies are planning initiative in the wake of climate change. For these companies to stay on top they require constant innovation. This includes initiative to combat climate change.

To stay at the top companies are always looking for ways to cut costs and deliver client expectations. As energy and water cost are due to increase dramatically over the next few years, top companies will be of the pioneers to initiate greener technologies that will lead to cost savings in the combat against climate change.

This extract from Time Live

The majority of South African companies plan to increase their spending on climate change initiatives in the next two years, a survey by Ernst & Young finds.

The survey titled “Action amid uncertainty: the SA business response to climate change” found that 80 percent of the ten large companies surveyed planned to increase spending on climate change initiatives between 2010 and 2012.

All the companies selected energy costs as the motivating factor driving climate change activities, while 90 percent said future investment would be in energy efficient initiatives.

“This is not surprising given the current energy security and increased energy prices that the country is experiencing,” said Jayne Mammatt, climate change and sustainability services associate director at Ernst & Young.

The increase in electricity prices could have a dramatic effect on your municipal bill. It seems like we are moving out of an era of cheap electricity.

Water tariffs have increased on average by [...]]]> The City of Cape Town released its new rates and charges for the year 2010/2011.

2010 Electricity tariffs & charges

The increase in electricity prices could have a dramatic effect on your municipal bill. It seems like we are moving out of an era of cheap electricity.

Water tariffs have increased on average by 9% however the billing increments have changed. These new increments could have your water bill increase by more than 9%. To see what you will now be paying for you water click here. Next year I suspect our water charges to increase much like our electricity charges have done as Cape Town tries to find a new sources of fresh water. The  desalination of sea water could mean a drastic upward spike in our water bill as the proposed desalination plants consume large amounts of power.

The [...]]]> South Africa is set to commission another coal fire power plant by February 2012 as the world bank grants Eskom a R27.2 Billion loan.

The World Bank has thrown Eskom the lifeline it was so desperately seeking by late on Thursday approving a $3.75-billion (R27.2-billion) loan to help South Africa secure its electricity supply.

The Bank said in a statement that the loan – the Bank’s first major lending engagement with South Africa since the fall of apartheid 16 years ago – aimed to benefit the poor directly, through jobs created as the economy bounces back from the global financial crisis and through additional power capacity to expand access to electricity.

The bulk of the loan – $3.05-billion – is to go towards constructing Eskom’s Medupi coal-fired power station in the Limpopo province while $260-million has been earmarked for investment in renewable energy and $485-million will be used for investment in low-carbon efficiency components, such as road to rail coal transportation.

Without Medupi, which is expected to be commissioned by February 2012, South Africa runs the risk of sinking deeper into an electricity crisis that saw a near-collapse of the national grid in January 2008.

Source: Iafrica

I am pleased that South Africa won’t be thrown into darkness because of the construction of a power plant. Of course having power is essential for South African Business and Industry to support our economy. My concern is, why was there no Plan-B or in that case any other plan?

After many years of talks of reducing carbon emissions, building clean energy generators seems to make so much more sense. I see this move by Eskom to build Medupi as a total lack of future planning and I feel the 2007 and 2008 power outs were due to the same lack of foresight.

Was building Medupi the best plan that Eskom came up with after the 2007/2008 wake up call? What were they doing before then? I acknowledge that 3 years to plan any major project of this scale is not long but a DIRTY coal fired power plant to pollute our skys, is that the best way to solve the issue?

South Africa has the potential to harness much wind and solar energy for power generation. Though it might came at a higher initial financial cost today. What are the health and environmental implications of blowing tonnes of coal into the air? How will that effect our economy?

Hopefully the Department of Water and Environmental affairs will have to foresight to prevent South Africa from suffering from severe water scarcity. We can’t generate large quantities of fresh water to supply the entire country, even with so much of our country surrounded by the sea.