Electricity and Control June 2024

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

tion, accurate billing, and consistent revenue collection.” Dall’Omo notes that different countries take different routes to progress. In Botswana, for example, when the country experienced a drought through 2016/2017 which severely affected water supply, this led the government to invest in new infrastructure and it recognised the value of digital technology to enable it to better manage such im pacts in future. Botswana is adopting a similar approach in extending and improving its power infrastructure. Siemens is also active In Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, for instance, all countries that are adopting digital technologies because of the benefits they offer. Nonetheless, each coun try presents particular obstacles too. She reiterates that meter data management based on digital systems offers the best form of return on investment – enabling revenue collection and in turn maintenance and the development of new infrastructure. She indicates however, that funding is generally a challenge, whether for upgrading technologies or investing into the grid. Investing in the grid Noting that so much focus has gone into increasing gen eration capacity, and certainly successes have been achieved there, Dall’Omo emphasises that it is as important to invest in the transmission grid and electricity distribution networks, to enable new grid connections – especially for renewables – to ensure delivery and enable a return on that investment. From a practical perspective, it is essential also to attend to issues such as lightning protection – from power lines to substations to mini-substations at the point of consumption. Microgrids too, play an important role, especially in extending access to remote communities and to remote sites like mines, and in enabling independent embedded generation for individual industrial sites or industry clus ters. Dall’Omo notes that Eskom is doing a lot of work in this area, extending access to electricity for communities that have not had it before now. Siemens has also been involved in a few microgrid projects – at Upper Blinkwater in the Eastern Cape for one example. “In this small, remote village, having electricity for eight hours a day when the sun is shining to power the PV system, makes an enormous difference in what the villagers can or can’t do.” Access to electricity can be life-changing, enabling education, connectivity, small businesses, cold stores, seemingly simple but significant changes. In this project, developed in partnership with Lamo Solar, the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, the Federal state of Lower Saxony in Germany and the German international cooperation and development agency GIZ, it is important to note that the community takes responsibility for maintaining the microgrid on an ongoing basis. This brings us back to the concerns around skills and financial management (poor revenue collection) at the last mile of the distribution network municipal level, which hin der investment in development. In South Africa, she points out, there are constraints on the extent to which the private

The microgrid incorporates a 75 KWp photovoltaic (PV) system, a diesel generator, and a battery storage system, all controlled by a Siemens SICAM Microgrid Controller. sector can get involved to assist in sharing skills and devel oping capacity within municipal structures as all projects are subject to the PFMA (Public Finance Management Act) and strict budgeting processes are managed by National Treasury. “We know the law and the statutory regulations are in place for good reason, but they raise multiple roadblocks to the possibilities of providing support and fast-tracking implementation,” Dall’Omo says.

JUNE 2024 Electricity + Control

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