Electricity + Control June 2015

ENERGY + ENVIROFICIENCY

ROUND UP

South Africa’s regulations for drones

Having installed a 353 kWp solar photovoltaic cell grid-tied installa- tion at its Isando (Johannesburg) manufacturing plant, voestalpine has offset its reliance on the national grid by 40 %.The resulting sav- ings to the plant’s operational costs will repay the R 7,3 M installation within nine years. The project was contracted to SUNCybernetics , the local partner of SUNFarming . voestalpine ’s Isando facility manufactures railroad turnouts mounted on sleepers where trains are guided across changing tracks. “Our design of an optimum solar-powered solution for voes- talpine was based upon an analysis of the plant’s energy load profile prior to the installation; the availability of elevated north-facing roofs (which, further, had the strength to support the panels); as well as an electronic solution that would minimise or prohibit the flow of power back to the grid,” explains voestalpine’s energy consultant Warwick Stark, director, Rawlyn Consulting . As per voestalpine’s board’s requirement of needing three com- parative quotes, Rawlyn assisted in a RFP by invitation to quote on the required 353 kWp solar photovoltaic plant.The required 353 kWp was determined by analysing voestalpine’s past annual average Since the Fukushima accident, Nordic nuclear power plant areas have given greater priority to understanding the safety implications of seismic events.VTT and various Nordic players are co-developing new methods of making seismic hazard estimates of anticipated earthquakes in Fennoscandia. Little source modelling-based meas- urement data is available on earthquakes in stable continental areas. On 8 May 2015, VTTTechnical Research Centre of Finland organised a workshop aimed at identifying and sharing the relevant Nordic data. An upcoming four-year project will also involve updating exist- ing earthquake source modelling techniques and developing new ground motion simulation models for stable continental regions, particularly the Fennoscandian Shield. A thorough empirical analy- sis has been conducted. However, a lack of empirical observations of ground motion close to actual, high-magnitude earthquakes in Fennoscandia has impeded our understanding of the seismic load caused by a potential earthquake close to a nuclear power plant. Recent developments in calculation methods are enabling the • A class four medical certificate for beyond visual line of sight operations or operations involving drones classified as class 3 or higher • Alternatively, a restricted certificate of proficiency in aeronauti- cal radiotelephony • Drone pilots will need to provide proof that they speak English at a proficiency level of four or higher • If a pilot has the correct licence, an issued letter of approval, valid for 12 months, will be required Regulations will come into force in July 2015 regarding the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems or drones.The regulations have been signed by the Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters. Among the regulations are the following: • You will need a licence to fly a drone • Minimum age will be 18 years

• A drone will not be sold unless the seller notifies the buyer of the operational requirements imposed by the Sacaa • A drone cannot tow another aircraft, perform aerial or aerobatic displays or be flown in a formation or swarm • Drones will not be flown next to or above a nuclear power plant, prison, police station, crime scene, court of law, national key point or installation • No drone will be operated 121,92 m above the surface or within a radius of 10 km from an aerodrome, be flown overhead any person or group, or within a lateral distance of 50 m from any person, or within a lateral distance of 50 m from a structure or a building • Public roads for landing and take-off of a drone will be prohib- ited Enquiries:Visit www.caa.co.za

Solar installation reduces its reliance on the grid by 40 %

load profile. Rawlyn assisted voestalpine in the evaluation of the proposals on a technical basis in order to determine the final winning bid. Designed to yield a usable 483 412 kWh/year, the photovoltaic installation will effect annual savings of over R 600 000 against an annual electricity bill of R 1 374 000 prior to the installation. Enquiries:Warwick Stark. Email warwick@rawlyn.co.za

Seismic safety of nuclear power plants will improve

formation of calculation models that generate realistic estimates of earthquake loads.The project’s network of experts will focus on areas at low risk of seismic activity in the Nordic countries and fur- ther strengthen cooperation between VTT and Uppsala University in seismic source modelling. In this project, the partners ofVTT will be Aalto University, the University of Helsinki, Uppsala University, GEUS Geological Survey of Denmark and the Nordic leader in technical consulting, ÅF.The project will be funded by NKS Nordic Nuclear Safety Research. The project’s long-term goal will be to expand cooperation of this kind to cover the Baltic countries.The project results will not only provide the background information required for the safety assessment of nuclear power plants, but will also be important with regard to final disposal repositories for nuclear waste. In addition, the results will be useful for the National Nuclear Power Plant Safety Research (SAFIR2018) programme’s NEST project. Enquiries: Ludovic Fülöp. Email ludovic.fulop@vtt.fi

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