Sparks Electrical News August 2018

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

15

TALKING ELECTRICITY WITH ANDREW LUKE DAPSHIS

W hen we think of energy it does not nec- essarily have to mean electrical energy; it can refer to a harnessed force created through physical or chemical combinations, which equals power that can work machines. Under normal circumstances, however, when someone refers to energy, few of us in the electrical world would consider a tree or a plant. Yet with the THE FUTURE OF ENERGY?

possibilities of advanced nanobionics with the objective of also using plants and trees to possibly detect explosives and looming drought conditions. In a sense, making a smart plant. So, like everything the human race encounters, we are trying to find a way to manipulate the smallest particles in order to make our lives better or easier. Yet not much thought appears to have gone into the evolutionary damage that constant manipulation could cause. If we depend on plant and tree life for oxygen, will that process still be the same once we have doused the plant with all sorts of enzymes? As impressive as this study has been, the thought of how to control this technology is concerning and a possible uprising of the plants might just be eminent, even though, like most breakthroughs, they take many years to stabilise and be properly utilised. Where does it end? If scientists are able to add any enzyme they are able to capture to plant life, when and where do we draw the line on manipulating the environment? Or will that question only be asked once we are playing a real life version of Plants vs Zombies?

fetched, but a group of students at MIT have already taken the first steps in achieving just that. The Strano Research Group, using advanced nanobionics, has been able to add the same enzyme that gives the humble firefly the ability to light up the night sky (luciferase), to the leaves of a watercress plant. The results thus far have not been spectacular illumination, but rather a four hour dim glow, which shows serious promise. The team speculates it will achieve enough light through the process to be able to light up large areas such as a workshop. We might be years away from truly achieving this through feasible sustainable, cost-friendly methods, but the thought of it certainly brightens up the future, literally. The team’s goal is to produce a spray that can be applied to either a seedling or a fully-grown plant that would provide a life-time effect. It also hopes to be able to create a spray with a luciferase inhibiter that would then be able to switch off the effect. The US Department of Energy has given the research group funding to further explore the

scientific breakthroughs that are happening on a daily basis, it wouldn’t seem as much like science fiction as another step up on the staircase of humanity’s survival. Imagine for moment a tree could be used as a light (not the family Christmas tree that you still haven’t packed away). A tree being used as a street light or a plant being used as a study lamp might seem far-

ABB’S SOLAR INVERTER REDUCES LOGISTIC AND INSTALLATION COSTS

ENERGY SAVING CAMPAIGN FOR APPLIANCES TO EMPOWER PEOPLE

P ublic awareness about mandatory energy labelling came to the fore when Energy Minister Jeff Radebe engaged with the public in Fourways in July. Radebe conducted an Energy Saving Activation Campaign on residential ap- pliance energy efficiency Standards and Labelling (S&L) programme at the Hirsch Appliance Store in Fourways. “The objective of the campaign is to raise public awareness about the mandatory energy labelling requirements for new appliances sold in South Africa, as well as the importance of appliance manufacturers and retailers to comply with the regulations,” said the Department of Energy. The S&L programme is an initiative by the Department of Energy in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (dti), supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The initiative aims to ensure that selected appliance types comply with the new energy labelling requirements. “Thus, these appliances must have a visible energy label affixed to them at the

Launch of app “The activation will also give the Min- ister an opportunity to officially launch the Appliance Energy Calculator, a mobile application designed to as- sist retail sales staff and consumers to estimate the running cots of vari- ous appliances.” The project said the department forms an integral part of the measures geared towards reducing electricity consumption and the car- bon footprint of the residential sector in South Africa.

point of sale.” The energy label provides consumers with accurate information about the product allowing them to compare energy efficiency performance of one appliance to another appliance. This enables consumers to make informed decisions when making appliance purchases. The energy efficiency label has been designed to provide consumers with accurate and comparable information on the energy efficiency of household appliances. The information provided on the label indicates the energy efficiency class of the appliance, the manufacturer and appliance model.

Enquiries: www.energy.gov.za

ABB’s new PVS-175-TL string inverter, which delivers up to 185 kW active power has been recognised by industry experts as the leading PV product innovation at the 2018 Intersolar Awards. Delivering up to 65 percent savings on installation and logistic costs for ground mounted utility scale applications, the ABB PVS-175-TL delivers the largest capacity on the market for a 1500 V dc string inverter. Together with all the key benefits of traditional string inverters, its innovative modular design means that up to 65 percent fewer inverters are required to complete the optimal power block, without the need for ac recombiners. This delivers up to 65 percent savings on installation and logistic costs, improving Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) for utility-scale installations. The three-phase PVS-175-TL with advanced digital capabilities through ABB Ability™ – ABB’s comprehensive cross-divisional digital offering – delivers up to 185 kVA at 800 Vac and ultra-high-power density of 1.3 kW/ kg. This not only maximises the ROI for ground-mounted utility- scale applications but also reduces Balance of System costs for small to large scale, free field ground mounted PV installations. “As demand for higher voltage and higher power class ratings continues to grow, we are very excited to bring to the solar energy industry a scalable and versatile solution. We are delighted to be recognised at the highest possible level in our industry, particularly with the market shifting towards new technologies to enhance solar power generation in a reliable, safe and cost-effective manner,” said Giovanni Frassineti, who heads up ABB’s Solar Business Unit. “This latest product not only supports higher power densities, but also improves installation with reduced commissioning time. It benefits from advanced communication and digitalisation for condition based monitoring and proactive maintenance for the operator.” Quick and easy installation, improved accessibility and visibility, advanced digitalisation monitoring through ABB Ability™, bigger PV clusters and modular combiner free design are just some of the many advantages of the PVS-175-TL. Presented at Intersolar Europe for the first time, the PVS-175-TL is a plug-and-play inverter with easy install directly onto the existing PV modules’ mounting system, using the same process as installing a dc string combiner box. A dedicated Installer App provides simple and quick plant installation instructions and gets all inverters employed, in a single cluster, and commissioned in less than 20 minutes. The PVS-175-TL will be available for the southern Africa market from Q2 in 2019.

An example of a label for an electric oven.

Enquiries: www.abb.com

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

AUGUST 2018