SAVIOUS KWINIKA
DE AAR: A multibillion-rand investment in wind energy by a Chinese firm is poised to avert power outages faced by companies in the Northern Cape and eventually, South Africa, as its electricity crisis continues.
Longyuan South Africa Renewables is behind the innovations and has invested R5.18 billion towards installation of wind energy solutions in the De Aar town.
This is feeding thousands of megawatts into the national grid, run by the beleaguered national power utility, Eskom.
Sheng Bin, the Longyuan South Africa Renewables' Safety Production and Technology Department manager, presented data pertaining solely to the De Aar wind power project’s output.
The project has been generating an average of about 760 million kilowatt-hours annually over the past six years.
“I am confident that this production rate can be sustained moving forward,” he said in an exclusive interview with Independent Media.
He said there was a strong possibility that the project in the Northern Cape town would generate 7.6 billion kWh in the coming decade.
According to energy researchers, for South Africa to avoid worsening power outages, the country is required to upgrade or build new energy infrastructure and find alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and green energy efficiency technologies aimed at reducing demand and outsourcing to independent power producers.
Longyuan South Africa Renewables, which successfully won the bids for De Aar 1 and De Aar 2 (North) wind power projects towards the end of 2013, commenced construction of the wind energy projects in late 2015, before the two projects passed the grid connection tests that achieved early generation.
Bin said his company was looking forward to new energy opportunities in order to grow the power supply to Eskom.
“We are keen on seeking opportunities to expand our renewable energy projects in South Africa,” the official said.
However, the progression of the projects faced challenges, making it difficult for his company to provide a concrete response, he said.
“Nonetheless, I remain optimistic and believe our aspiration to pursue this path is both enduring and constructive.”
Bin hailed wind and solar energy as sources of power that represented abundant and renewable forms of energy found in nature.
Wind and solar were abundant in South Africa.The Northern Cape’s topography made it an attractive area for solar or wind projects.
“The exploitation of these sources, namely wind and solar energy, is free from pollution. This positions them as clean and eco-friendly alternatives.”
He said the wind energy project was not easy to maintain, citing the complexities of the wind turbine system.
“Effective maintenance is challenging. Wind turbines are complex systems, integrating mechanical, hydraulic and electrical parts,” he said.
During maintenance, safety was a priority, considering that the major components were positioned high above the ground, often dozens of metres up.
“Factors like working at such heights, along with the presence of strong winds and thunderstorms, greatly influence the maintenance process.”
Bin also cited challenges associated with the wind energy generation. Power production increased or decreased, depending on the wind, a development that would impact on daily electricity generation.
“In contrast to coal-fired power plants, wind energy faces a major challenge due to the variability of wind resources. This results in fluctuating electricity production from wind farms.”
A case in point was the De Aar wind power project. During months with high wind, it could produce upwards of 80 million kWh. However, in periods of low wind speeds, its output might drop to about 40 million kWh.
“This disparity is quite pronounced,” said Bin.
With South Africa’s endowment with solar and wind energy sources, Bin said the country had the capacity to increase generation of green energy that was dependable.
“Considering its (South Africa’s) expansive territory, I believe that integrating wind and solar power with energy storage systems presents an extremely efficient and promising strategy.”
De Aar’s favourable winds and less corrosive dry climate made it an ideal site for Longyuan’s wind farms project sites.
“However, it is also an impoverished small South African town with decaying infrastructure and widespread poverty that brings its own set of challenges for business,” Bin said.
“Although the De Aar location is somewhat distant from major cities, it has its advantages, such as good wind resources, proximity to key power stations in the grid, and roads and other infrastructure that meet the requirements for project construction.”
Entrepreneurs interviewed by Independent Media in Gauteng, North West and the Northern Cape praised the Chinese wind and solar energy initiatives.
“Small businesses here are forced to adjust operating hours to ensure they have accommodated the load shedding schedules,” said Kimberley entrepreneur Johannes van Wyk.
“These power outages are making us lose business and the worst part of it, we cannot plan properly. Load shedding has exposed our businesses to robbery and theft due to darkness. We believe the Chinese wind and solar investment as a timeous solution.”
Van Wyk bemoaned loss of internet connectivity and payment processing disruption, as well as ageing infrastructure.
De Aar farmer Jacobus Coetzee said: "The Chinese investments in wind and solar energy will help avert the rolling blackouts."
Potchefstroom entrepreneur Hendrik Louw, said: “I strongly believe had it not been for the independent power producers’ support rendered to national power utility, Eskom, especially the Chinese investments in wind and solar energy, the country’s economy would have completely collapsed. We hope for the better as we continue to witness new wind and solar energy expanding.”
Ethiopian entrepreneur in Johannesburg, Gauteng, Ajani Assefa, lamented spending a lot of money on diesel and petrol to keep his enterprise going during load shedding.
“Otherwise, these rolling blackouts are doing us much harm to our businesses. I pray that these solar and wind initiatives by the Chinese will turn around the country’s load shedding crisis.”
The severe power outages have immensely impacted the South African economy, resulting in industries closing, a sharp decline in economic activity and a ballooning rate of unemployment.
The crisis impacts badly on agriculture, health care, mining and education, among other sectors. | CAJ News
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