HYBRID RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN SOUTH AFRICA AT AFRICA ENERGY INDABA 2012

The choices made years ago in the energy sector in times of excess capacity have become the hurdles that stand in the way of energy advancements in today’s South African energy landscape says Elsa du Toit, panelist and moderator of the discussion. How do we ensure and prioritise energy security for economic development at the upcoming Africa Energy Indaba 2012 Conference and Exhibition which will take place February 21 to 23 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

 “Now that energy supply is constrained, South Africa needs to challenge historical decisions and investigate new ways of providing energy to communities. All energy sources should be used optimally and hybrid renewable energy solutions should be further investigated in combination with energy efficiency and distributed generation,” adds du Toit. Especially since controller technologies are currently available that could make these applications implementable and feasible.
For example, renewable energy technologies in a suburban community setup can be more optimally applied if they are interlinked. By utilising the latest technology controllers, biogas driven generator sets, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and battery sets can be managed efficiently to ensure an optimal and reliable supply of energy for a community.
There are many different definitions explaining distributed generation but essentially distributed generation is electricity production on-site or close to the load centre that is interconnected to the distribution system.
 
Hybrid renewable energy solutions to be used within the distributed generation solution should also be investigated. “In the United States these shown to be very cost effective and reliable at all times, as the system is not entirely reliant on one energy source,” says du Toit. In a country like South Africa where economic growth and job creation are needed it is believed that introducing hybrid systems could open the energy market up for more technologies and players to enter successfully.
“Hybrid solutions are being implemented in South Africa but on a limited scale through mostly small scale solar and wind combinations. The concept is, however, not optimally implemented yet,” says du Toit.

Issued by: Siyenza Management
                      Mabel Modipa
                      011 463 9184
                      mabel(at)siyenza.za.com /www.energyindaba.co.za
 
On behalf of the Africa Energy Indaba 2012
 
About Africa Energy Indaba 2012
The Africa Energy Indaba takes place from February 21 to 23 2012 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Sandton, Johannesburg. The event brings together stakeholders from the global energy industry and the financial community, including energy providers, engineers, financial service providers, economists, government representatives and media. Visit www.energyindaba.co.za