MechChem Africa November-December 2020

Energy management and optimisation initiatives: reasons for celebration

Peter Middleton

O n October 14, I joined the virtual awards ceremony for the 2020AEE International Awards, which recognise outstanding energy-related achievements of the as- sociation’s members across the world. The AEE is the Association of Energy Engineers, a non-profit professional society with over 18 000 members in more than 100 countries. Its mission? To promote the scientific and educational interests of those engaged in the energy industry and to foster action for sustain- able development. Our cover and cover story for this issue feature the excellent news that this year’s AEE International Energy Project of the Year award, the highest inter- national accolade for an energy programme, went to South Africa’s Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) Project. This for its efforts to transform energy use patterns in South African industry, by mainstreaming energy management systems and pioneering energy training and professional development across eco- nomic sectors. The beginning of the IEE Project in 2009/2010 coincides withwhen I first started editing MechChem Africa/Mechanical Technology . For all of that time, we havebeencoveringenergymanagement andefficiency strategies and successes, initially through pumping specialist Harry Rosen of TASOnline, who has long argued for the adoption of the systems approach to improving the efficiency and reliability of pumping circuits. For several years now, Rosen, who is aUNIDO International Pump Expert with the IEE Project, has beenoneof our columnists.Wemetwhenhis company was still organising the International Pump Users Conference (IPUC), which is alsowhere I first became aware of ISO50001, the EnergyManagement system standard. The Mining and Industrial Energy Optimisation (MIEO) seminars also began at about that time, sup- ported through the Association for Energy Efficiency and Eskom’s Demand-Side Management initiative. It wasHarryRosenwhoalertedme to them, and through these seminars we met and presented stories from Mario Kuisis of Martec, Wayne Jacobs from Atlas Copco, Murray Jooste fromWeir Minerals and many more, all of whom were regular MIEO roadshow presenters. Until Eskom load shedding began in January 2008, energy efficiency was low on the priority list of indus - trial plant managers. Alf Hartzenburg of the CSIR’s National Cleaner Production Centre and the national manager of the IEE Project describes the introduc-

tion of load shedding as the ‘burning platform’ that focusedminds to the need for change. Initially, though, the rushed response was all about generation – the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP); Medupi, Kusile and the nuclear programme – with every industrial site that couldafford it installingbackupdiesel generators. Thanks to the persistent efforts by all those who were part of, or participated in, the IEE Project in South Africa, a real mindset shift has occurred. As well as the undisputed environmental benefits, the value of energy efficiency in terms of energy security, plant productivity and lower operating costs, is now undisputed. Hartzenburg also talks about the new career op- portunities that have been created in South Africa for energy engineers, which were unheard of in this country a decade ago. In this month’s Power genera- tion, petrochemical and sustainable energy manage- ment feature, we interview one of these new energy professionals, Tygue Theron of Energy Partners (EP) Intelligence. He describes a modern and holistic ap- proach to energy, which starts with behaviour-based ‘war onwaste’ initiatives, followedby energyoptimisa- tioninvestmentsintechnologiessuchashighefficiency refrigeration systems. Also, investments in EP’s suggested solutions and energymanagementservicesarenowroutinelyfunded via power purchase or shared savings agreements, which completely remove any doubt about the worth of adopting the energy management approach. Also in this issue, Energy leader for Zutari, Paul Nel, talks about his company’s renewable energy journey and its “return home” to Africa. “The energy crisis is driving positive change and our energy mix is going to look different and better in the future,” Nel says. In terms of the energy mix going forward, he adds “…the answerhastoberenewables,withahealthydoseofgas in the medium term to provide on-demand dispatch- able power,” he says. I attended the AEE 2020 Awards via Zoom. We were asked to leave the video on to give a sense of an audience. Not having to wear shoes or even trousers was joked about, but our presenter from the US was in a Tuxedo at 4:00 am. Clapping felt rather odd, but so did popping into the kitchen for a cup of tea. But in the words of Alf Hartzenburg, “I was blown away that a project born in South Africa had achieved such high international status against the best international competition in the world.” So was I, Alf, so was I. It made me very glad. q

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