Sparks Electrical News May 2021

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

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SAPVIA welcomes Eskom CEO’s comments on increased distributed generation license exemption cap T he South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) wel- comes comments made by Eskom CEO André de Ruyter recently in support of an increased distributed generation license exemp- tion cap. Distributed generation can add capacity to the grid, reduce load- shedding, and create jobs but there must be policy and regulatory action. “SAPVIA has long been engaged in advocating for the systematic easing of licensing thresholds, to unlock the significant opportunity held by distributed generation. We therefore welcome the support of the state- owned utility for lifting licensing thresholds from 1 MW to 50 MW in order to accelerate distributed generation by large customers,” says the association’s COO, Nivesh Govender. “As a key sector player, Eskom’s support in this effort should encourage more haste in regulatory changes from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).” The benefits of a specific allocation within the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and lifting of licensing thresholds are now common knowledge and as a key government partner in the energy space, SAPVIA remains committed to engaging and collaborating with both the DMRE and NERSA to develop the required changes,” he adds. “Increased deployment of embedded generation capacity will release the pressure on Eskom’s already constrained supply. Simply put, distributed generation provides rapid, clean, additional capacity to the grid.” No-one could disagree with the need for increased capacity as our economy is hamstrung by the ongoing blight of load-shedding, says Govender. “But distributed generation will also create jobs, spur localisation and industrialisation, which will be vital in driving our economic recovery. It is clear from Mr De Ruyter’s comments that Eskom has realised that it must look for alternative solutions to combat the ongoing energy crisis and we are hopeful that this will be followed up with the necessary legislative changes to make this a reality.” SAPVIA is a not-for-profit body which consists of active players in South Africa’s photovoltaic market who have a genuine, invested presence in the country. The association is devoted to promoting the growth of the country’s solar photovoltaic electricity market and aims to contribute to the country’s renewable energy roll-out. Engie acquires 100 MW concentrated solar power plant Engie has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire from Abengoa a 40% equity stake in Xina Solar One, a 100 MW Concentrated Solar plant, as well as 46% of the Operations & Maintenance Company. The plant is equipped with parabolic trough technology and a molten salt stor- age system that allows for 5.5 hours of energy storage to provide reliable electricity during peak demand. Power is contracted through a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement with Eskom (South African Electricity Public Utility). Xina Solar One is supplying clean energy to more than 95 000 South Afri- can households and prevents the emission into the atmosphere of approxi- mately 348 000 tons of CO 2 each year. The plant is located in the Northern Cape, which is also the location of Engie’s 100 MW Kathu CSP plant. Xina Solar One increases Engie’s renewable footprint and is a further step to cementing its position as the leading Inde- pendent Power Producer in the country. Synergies between Xina and Kathu will be developed to further enhance the operational efficiency of both plants. “With the acquisition of this project, Engie is pursuing its low carbon strat- egy. Xina augments the country’s installed peaking power and reduces its dependence on coal-fired electricity. The 100 MW CSP plant also contrib- utes to ENGIE’s geographic rationalization by expanding its footprint in South Africa, where it is the leading Independent Power Producer with 1,320 MW of installed capacity.” says Sébastien Arbola, CEO of Engie Mescata. Mohamed Hoosen, CEO of Engie Southern Africa commented: “Engie is valued as a highly skilled IPP and a long-term player in the South African power industry. We are adding an innovative high-performing plant and are increasing our CSP capacity. This investment will create value over the long- er term while accelerating impact on the energy transition of our customers.” Co-shareholders on Xina Solar One include Public Investment Corpora- tion, a pension fund manager and a shareholder on Engie’s Kathu project (20%); Industrial Development Corporation, a development finance institu- tion wholly- owned by the South African Government (20%); and Xina Com- munity Trust, funded by the IDC (20%). Xina Solar One, which started com- mercial operation in August 2017, was built by Abengoa. Completion of the transaction is subject to the fulfillment of certain condi- tions including merger control clearance from relevant competition authorities. Enquiries: www.sapvia.co.za

Award-winning green and digital switchgear makes commercial debut

Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced the commercial avail- ability of its new green and digital medium voltage switchgear range at Hannover Messe 2021. SM AirSeT is a leap forward for sustain- ability, using pure air and vacuum interruption instead of SF6 gas, as well as allowing users to take full advantage of digital features to unlock the value of data. The new offer is an environmentally supe- rior continuation of one of Schneider Electric’s most popular product ranges for secondary electrical distribution, SM6. Since unveiling the company’s breakthrough combination of innovative Shunt Vacuum Interruption (SVI)™ technology and pure air insulation in 2019, Schneider Electric has built numerous successful pilot projects of the SF6-free medium voltage range at both utility and private customer sites. This new switchgear is designed for secondary electrical distribution markets, such as industrial and commercial building applications and utilities, and is now available in several geographies in Asia and in Europe. As seen during the pilot stage, Schneider Electric expect a high level of interest due to the combination of SVI and pure air insulation enabling the avoidance of SF6 while maintaining the advantages of the compact physical footprint and other benefits afforded by that industry-standard gas. The new SM AirSeT switchgear offers a comprehensive suite of functionalities, including the SF6-free switch- fuse, which is often the preferred solution for building installations. It also retains the trusted operating mode of traditional SF6-based equipment. Air is the best gas “At Schneider Electric, we believe the best gas is air,” said Frederic Godemel, Executive Vice President of Power Systems at Schneider Electric. “Now that our green and digital SF6-free switchgear has hit the market, we can speed up the real work of decarbonization. When people think of green energy, they tend to focus on generation or consumption. But SM AirSeT fits in the curical space between the two, where there are massive environmental improvements to be made.” Schneider Electric has reported successful pilot projects of its new SF6-free medium voltage switchgear at numerous electric utilities, including GreenAlp in France, EEC Engie in New Caledonia, E.ON in Sweden, and more recently Renault in France, with more being energised on a regular basis in private power networks for commercial and industrial applications and beyond. Schneider Electric’s new SM AirSeT switchgear was honored by Hannover Messe in 2020, winning the Industrial Energy Efficiency Award, which showcases companies’ outstanding commitment to investing in and applying energy-efficient solutions. In cooperation with the independent market research and consulting company EUPD Research, the award was conferred by Deutsche Messe at the Hannover Messe Digital Days. When choosing the recipient of the award, the jury considered its degree of innovation, contribution to

efficiency, economic benefits, and social sustainability characteristics. SM AirSeT was also nominated for another industrial prize awarded in 2020 by Deutsche Messe, the HERMES Award, where it placed among the three finalists. These recognitions join the list of other important industrial awards given to SF6-free switchgear, including an IF Design Award, an enerTIC Award for its project with E.ON, and a Top 10 Innovation Award from the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum. The future is green and digital The commercial debut of SM AirSeT blazes a trail for Schneider Electric’s broader roadmap toward an SF6-free future. The company is systematically building a complete portfolio of green alternatives to its SF6-based equipment, with new green offers dedicated to more industrial applications, including electro-intensive industries. For example, Schneider Electric has already launched its GM AirSeT offer in China, a primary switchgear and sister technology to the new SM AirSeT, which is dedicated to secondary applications. Further extending environmental benefits and independent from specific offers, the company emphasized the significance of the numerous digital technologies that can equip their new switchgear. For example, the natively digital SM AirSeT switchgear includes condition-based maintenance features, feeding data from its sensors to both local field tools/apps and sophisticated analytics tools such as those offered by Schneider Electric’s robust EcoStruxure architecture and platform. The entire platform of equipment is becoming natively digital, connected to cloud data sharing in order to better serve efficiency and safety of operations.

Enquiries: www.se.com

Enquiries: www.engie-africa.com

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

MAY 2021