Sparks Electrical News June 2018

CONTRACTORS’ CORNER

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KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE AFRICA ENERGY INDABA 2018 CONFERENCE

T he focus of the conference centered around realising Africa’s energy potential. Access to energy in Africa is improving, however lack of access remains a major problem. Africa’s population is projected to grow from a billion to 1.5 billion in 2050, and demand for energy will increase substantially. Sustainable Development Goals targets require that Africa increase access to energy by 2030. Efforts are underway and investors are urged to invest more in the sector. Renewable energy projects alone can provide immense job opportunities that can alleviate unemployment in African countries. Investments in the energy sector should also focus on skills development, technology transfer and empowerment. Energy access and securing the future for Africa’s citizens Modern, affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is critical for economic growth. Africa has the capacity to be self-sufficient through its abundant resources, but is lagging behind in energy security. Energy access is now part of the political debate and there is an increase in political will to provide energy to African countries. The business opportunity linked to renewable energy and energy efficiency There is opportunity in sustainability and its associated services, across

a great spectrum of projects from small to big. Some challenges include working with municipalities of various sizes and limitations of the current procurement process. Rural electrification: off-grid and mini-grid Self-sustaining and renewable mini-grids (<10 MW) are being installed in Africa as an alternative to traditional grid connections; and could enable countries to meet electricity access goals – especially rural communities that are far from the central grid. Challenges include access to financing, reliable power energy storage systems, and the need to implement energy projects as an integrated programme to uplift communities. Africa’s regional pathways: resilience and regional integration Regional energy projects can greatly improve energy access, but

require many utilities, regulators and ministries to co-ordinate in different countries. A decade ago the energy sector was characterised by state owned monopoly utilities but this is slowly changing. There are successful examples of interconnecting projects. Funding solutions to accelerate Africa’s energy sector growth and development Africa requires massive investment over the next 20-30 years but development agencies can only supply a fraction of this funding. It will require innovative funding solutions, new funding instruments, and new financial approaches for the African landscape. Africa requires investor certainty – projects should form part of regional development plans (not once-off/isolated). Projects need to be commercially viable and well-structured to access funding.

Enquiries: www.africaenergyindaba.com

18 TH EDITION OF IET WIRING REGULATIONS FOR ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

T he IET Wiring Regulations, also known as BS 7671, are the standard for elec- trical installation, covering areas such as verification, inspection, testing, cable sizing, earthing and installation. This latest edition of the regulations should be of interest to all those concerned with the design, installation and maintenance of electrical wiring in build- ings, including professionals such as electri- cians, electrical contractors and maintenance technicians, as well as academic institutions. RS Components will be stocking the upcoming 18 th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations – Requirements for Electrical Installations – published by the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology). Available for pre-order, RS will have the IET publication in stock on the expected launch date of 2 July 2018. To maintain and update the existing wir-

ing regulations, the IET works closely with two major standard setting bodies: the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commis- sion) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization). The 18 th Edition Regulations are expected to in- corporate changes in certain areas includ- ing: protection against transient overvolt- age; protection against fire; extending the scope of Section 753 to also apply to the area of embedded heating systems; and a new appendix on energy efficiency. To coincide with the launch, RS is gearing up with a wide range of new products that will comply with the regulations including: VDE screwdrivers from suppliers such as Wera, as well as RS Pro tools; digital multimeters from leading makers such as FLIR; and insulation testers and RCD (Residual Current Device) protection

devices from RS Pro and vendors such as Megger.

Enquiries: https://za.rs-online.com

JOHANNESBURG CITY POWER ALLOWS REVERSE FEED FOR HOMES PRODUCING THEIR OWN POWER

A ccording to Green Building Af- rica, the Johannesburg Metro’s City Power has launched a Small Scale Embedded Generation Program, more commonly known as a reverse feed or embedded energy program. The program

paves the way for residents and businesses that generate their own electricity through solar power energy production, to reverse feed a limited amount of surplus generation back into the municipal grid. The amount of power fed back is set under a fixed tariff and

input and must be completed with the assistance of a qualified solar power (PV) installer. Once approved, a bi-directional advanced (AMI) credit meter needs to be installed by the City or the existing meter needs to be reprogrammed by the City to allow for reverse feed (at the home or business owners' own cost). The installation must comply with the South African National Standard (SANS) and a valid Certificate of Compliance (CoC) must be issued for the installation. The application process can be quite vigorous and lengthy if the PV system installed does not comply with the standards specified. In this way City Power ensures the reliability of supply for the life of the system. The positive consequence of the high standards that need to be met is the indirect regulation of the Photovoltaic or solar power installation industry. The launch tariff for selling back to City Power has been set at 42.79c per kilowatt hour (kW/h) for residences and 36.14c per kilowatt hour (kW/h) for businesses that are on three phase supply. The size of single phase installations is capped at 4.6 kW. While the tariffs are low, they are better than nothing and will improve your return on investment plus payback period.

will be offset against exist- ing City Power electricity accounts. The model, widely deployed in progressive cities around the world is a no-brainer and a long time coming. City Power sets conditions to buy power at a massive discount and sells it on at normal tariff rates, with very little capital outlay. Collectively the participants create a large urban solar farm servicing City Power. The challenge and cost to City Power is the strict implementation and adjustment to its automated billing system to allow for both the purchase and sale of electricity, something it appears to have overcome. The application process seems to be simple and invites interested residents and business to complete the Inverter Based Grid Tied PV Installation Form. However, the application form requires technical

Enquiries: www.citypower.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

JUNE 2018