Electricity and Control October 2024

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

should be developed by all utilities for IPPs to sell excess energy back into the grid. From residential, commercial, and industrial perspectives, this would also make the adoption of energy storage solutions easier. Further, energy wheeling and trading through municipal infrastructure, which is already happening in some municipalities that have proper fee structures and frameworks in place, could be implemented more widely. Beyond securing a stable power supply, energy stor age solutions provide a range of other benefits which the market needs to understand to make informed decisions, von Moltke says. He says prospective customers should work with an experienced partner that is qualified to pro vide them with the best advice and technical solutions for their needs. □ For more information visit: www.actom.co.za

load and the number of hours of backup they need, the return on investment for businesses can be between five and eight years, with solar PV included. Encouragingly, von Moltke notes that more customers are starting to better understand all the benefits of energy storage. Along with the maturing of solutions and the energy environment, he suggests that various measures can be implemented to accelerate energy storage adoption in South Africa. For example, a significant driver is the tax relief provided through Section 12B of the Income Tax Act, which offers favourable tax incentives to consumers that invest in renewable energy, specifically for systems coupled to solar PV installations. It will be beneficial if this relief is extended past the end date of 28 February 2025 and expanded to include battery energy storage systems with or without being coupled to solar PV systems. Additionally, proper financial structures and frameworks BMG – which celebrates 50 years in business this year – recently released the new Danfoss iC2-Micro Drive to the African market. This advanced system is designed with new features which allow for easy replacement of the VLT ® Micro Drive FC 51. “The versatile iC2-Micro Drive delivers superior motor control and mechanical brake performance, is more intelligent and powerful than its predecessor and is easier to use, install and commission,” says David Dyce, Business Unit Manager: Electronics, BMG. “With reduced complexity and greater functionality, the iC2-Micro Drive offers improved performance and energy efficiency over the VLT Micro Drive FC 51. It provides a seamless retrofit for existing applications and for complex tasks. “The compact unit, with a small footprint and side by-side mounting, can be installed in tight spaces and it can withstand a wider range of operating temperatures, making it suitable for safe use in harsh environments. The drives – available in a power range for 1-phase of 200 to 240 V ac: 0.37 to 2.2 kW and for 3-phase of 380 to 480 V ac: 0.37 to 22 kW – can operate reliably at full load for ambient temperatures up to 50°C. In addition, the drives are equipped with coated circuit boards as standard and controlled airflow movement to reduce the possibility of corrosive contaminants reaching the electronic circuitry. The fan system has built in on/off control to reduce noise and save energy. The fan is also removable to simplify drive maintenance.” Dyce highlights another key feature of the iC2-Micro Drive in the integrated PID controller that enables users to programme closed loop functions directly into the drive, improving its speed and process control capability. Advanced control algorithms and digital signal process ing ensure more precise control over motor speed and torque, resulting in improved efficiency of the system and High performance in a small, new package

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

reduced energy consumption. “We recommend iC2-Micro Drives to our customers where they need to upgrade existing drives, or when they are selecting drives for a new project,” he says.

Other new features include torque open loop control, locked motor de tection and permanent magnet motor control. With PM motor compatibility, the micro drive system provides efficient per manent magnet motor control in open loop under VVC+ through the full power range and is available in two versions, with or with out the RFI filter.

With reduced complexity and greater functionality, the iC2-Micro Drive offers improved performance and energy efficiency.

Integrated energy efficiency features, including an automatic energy optimiser and sleep mode, can re duce energy consumption by up to 30%. In addition, the iC2-Micro Drive incorporates new safety features, includ ing enhanced overcurrent protection and short circuit detection, which protect the motor and drive from dam age in the event of a fault. The iC2-Micro Drive is supplied standard with a user friendly interface with display and keypad. The local control panel also has a standard potentiometer for local speed adjustment. The drive is fitted with spring type I/O terminals for simple external control wiring. It can be quickly and easily installed and configured. BMG’s range of Danfoss drives, designed to save en ergy, optimise process control and improve productivity, serves many sectors, including processing, mining and minerals, industrial HVAC, marine and water, as well as chemical, oil and gas industries.

For more information visit: www.bmgworld.net

OCTOBER 2024 Electricity + Control

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