Sparks Electrical News May 2019

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

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HANERGY DEBUTS AT THE SOLAR SHOW AFRICA 2019 T he world’s largest thin-film solar power solutions company, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group, exhibited its latest products at The Solar Show Af- rica 2019, Africa’s largest and longest running power and electricity show, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in March. Presenting solar-powered solutions for industries and residential applica- tions, Hanergy showcased a series of its most promising solar solutions includ- ing HanTile, HanWall, HanBrick, Humbrella, HanPack, HanPaper, Solibro Slide-In mounting system, and GSE & MiaSolé Flex modules. The show welcomed over 8000 attendees and hosted solar solution provid- ers spanning four halls and thousands of square metres. Hanergy has a robust expansion plan for Africa, and has already initiated several projects locally. The company’s participation in this year’s exhibition and conference allowed it to explore partnerships with various national and interna- tional companies. Pan Xiang, Sales Director of Hanergy South Africa says, “We’re delighted to have exhibited our energy solutions at The Solar Show Africa 2019, undoubt- edly one of Africa’s leading exhibitions for the solar industry and its partners. We believe the exhibition and conference presented Hanergy with a platform to showcase its promising solar solutions to the African market. In addition, our participation has resulted in networking opportunities allowing us to solidify our current relationships and build new ones. We have explored multiple partner- ships with national and international companies and, hopefully, will soon be able to announce partnerships with a number of businesses,” he added. In 2016, Africa had 580 million people who were off-the-grid and the conti- nent is expected to be home to 80 percent of the world’s off-the-grid population by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. With a market oppor- tunity that’s not being met by the relatively small handful of companies that are operating on the continent, Hanergy has an opportunity to strengthen its foothold in the country by aiding off-grid African communities to embrace solar energy through collaboration with local government authorities. Hanergy’s solar cells have several times set the world record for conversion efficiency, with the latest being 29.1%. It launched and upgraded a handful of consumer products in 2018 – including the Humbrella solar-powered umbrella; the SolarTank solar backpack and the HanPower solar power bank – retaining its leading position in the mobile energy sector. With the debut of HanTile in April 2018 and HanWall in September 2018, Hanergy upped-the-ante in the global building-integrated PV segment.

CAPE TOWN OFFERS SOLAR QUALIFICATIONS

C ape Town is offering incentives to qualified technicians and electricians to train to become certified PV GreenCard installers. The move is part of the city’s effort to shift from dependency on Eskom, and to help local communities and organisations shift towards using alternative energy. Professionals in the industry who qualify for training will receive incentives of a 75% fee reduction for male applicants and a 100% fee reduction for female applicants. The training spans five days with an extra two-day assessment to obtain a PV GreenCard. A vol- untary certification and industry-led quality label, the PV GreenCard provides assurance to solar panel installers and their customers that systems are installed safely and at a high standard. The next available dates for training at the ‘SuperSolarSchools’ hosted by Maxx-Solar and SARETEC in Cape Town are August 12 and October 21, 2019. Those interested in taking advantage of this offer are encouraged to register soon as classes fill up quickly – every DOL-registered electrician qualifies for the incentive. Electricians without DOL registration could be considered if they have the following qualifications or experience: • Registered DOL Electrician (Trade test and Wireman’s)

• Qualified Electrician (Trade test only) • Electrical Training (Electrician NQF 4) • Registered Electrical/Solar PV Contractor • PV/Electrical installation experience (Portfolio of Evidence – Reference) • Registered business

The incentivised training courses broaden opportunities for technicians and entrepreneurs, allowing them to enter the renewables energy sector, and make available more professionals to provide solar power to those in need. The courses also increase opportunities for female electricians as they allow for full incentives offering 100% free qualifications. Since the pilot programme launched in April 2017, over 100 installers and electricians have been trained at SARETEC.

Enquiries: www.maxx-academy.org

Enquiries: en.hanergythinfilmpower.com

WINTER IS COMING… ALONG WITH LOAD SHEDDING

The AVS principle

L oad-shedding is just the tip of the iceberg when discussing bad power. We talk about the inconvenience of no power (blackout) but associated with this are other conditions causing damage and destruction to electrical and electronic equipment; poor maintenance and management of the distribution infrastructure results in load shed- ding, black outs (planned and unplanned), spikes and surges, power-back surges, over (high) and under (low) voltage, loss of neutral. Load shedding refers to the planned reduction of the country's demand on a limited supply of electric- ity. The motivation is to ‘avoid the total shutdown of the grid’ but to the general consumer we may ap- preciate it more when understanding that rather than the entire country receiving low (under) voltage (also known as ‘brown out’), those who are being supplied with power are receiving the ideal nominal voltage (220-230 V). South Africans traditionally understood the need for an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) during those intermitted ‘black-outs’, and for those with more drawn out power failures, the traditional solu- tion was the generator. Now, with escalating running costs of generators and the need for seamless con- tinual power supply to essential loads, the demand for larger battery back-up (UPS) systems involving Inverters is coming to the fore. The rapid increase in the cost of mains power is resulting in alterna- tive energy supplies such as wind and solar (pho- tovoltaic) becoming popular. We are not talking IPP (Independent Power Produces, planning to supply the national grid) but private companies supple- menting their day time consumption with solar and households adding solar to their grid tied Inverter type back up power. Power-back surges happen hand-in-hand with power cuts. When power is reconnected, it is usually

accompanied by a surge which can be quite high and result in severe damage. Delaying the start- up and monitor- ing supply until it is safe is critical. The Sollatek AVS range protects against this event. High voltage (also known as volt- age swell or surge) is a sustained high level of voltage to

typically >250 V and up to 300+. These could be catastrophic if the voltage rises very high, very quick- ly. Here, the company would recommend using the Sollatek AVS range of products which will disconnect the power until it returns to normal. Low voltage generally happens when the grid is overloaded, and you get excessive voltage drop on the distribution network. Sollatek’s AVS range pro- tects equipment, or where this is an irritatingly fre- quent occurrence, Sollatek’s voltage stabiliser would keep equipment working safer, for longer. Loss of neutral happens due to an accident or sabotage, which results in the single-phase voltage rising to the 3 Phase level. Instead of getting a sta- ble 230 V, the equipment will experience up to 415 V continuously, a common and serious event. The Sol- latek AVS30 protects against this. Winter will result in an increase in these damaging power conditions. Winter is coming, make sure you’re prepared.

Enquiries: www.sollatek.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

MAY 2019