The REFIT phase II tariffs have been announced!
CSP trough without storage = R3,14/kWh.
CSP tower with storage (6 hours) = R2,31/kWh.
Solid biomass = R1,18/kWh.
Biogas = R0,96/kWh.
Large grid connected PV = R3,94/kWh.
But, as many of us know, the hurdles now lie with the so called “beauty parade” tendering process and the caps on Renewables in the NIRP.
Frank
This is a great article about why “Neoclassical economics is inconsistent with the laws of thermodynamics”, and introduces the new “biophysical economics”. Frank
In this US, the cost of using fossil fuels to produce electricity is estimated to to increase the healthcare bill by USD120 billion, which works out to an externalised cost of 3.2 US cents per kWh, or about 23 SA cents per kWh. Makes you wonder what the real cost to the South African economy the use of fossil fuels for electricity may be...
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/energy-and-health-the-120b-hidden-cost
Frank
Check out this misleading poster: http://www.freelifeonearth.org/docs/GREENPRINT%20POSTER.JPG
Then check out this response: http://www.freelifeonearth.org/docs/BRIGHT%20IDEAS%20-%20Greenprint%20Wall%20chart%2011-10-09.pdf
Frank
http://public.ises.org/news/SWCResolution.pdf
ISES Solar World Congress 2009
Johannesburg, South Africa, 11-14 October 2009
Resolution
The ISES Solar World Congress 2009 hosted by the Sustainable Energy
Society of Southern Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, attended by
participants from all over the world resolves as follows:
The global target of 100 % renewable energies is both attainable and
necessary by the middle of the current century. This is motivated on
grounds of ecological, economic and social sustainability.
The unacceptable backlog in energy supply in the third world countries
can only be covered cost effectively and in time by the use of renewable
energies. Especially the industrialised countries have to increase their
efforts in transitioning to renewable energies.
The world's governments are called upon to implement without further
delay policies that have been proven internationally to be the most
effective and efficient in the rapid transition to a renewable energy
world, giving priority to renewable energy and refraining from any kind
of caps that may slow down renewable energy deployment.
As a guiding principle, local and rural communities and people should be
actively involved and benefit directly from renewable energies.
Governments should especially encourage and support community power
projects and distributed generation as well as investment in renewable
energy manufacturing facilities in order to foster the local creation of
jobs.
The Congress applauds the first steps taken by the South African
Government in introducing the renewable energy feed-in tariff. The
Congress requests government to urgently address concerns expressed by
the public and by potential investors about aspects of REFIT policy.
These include transparency, certainty, removal of contradictions between
legislation and regulations governing the REFIT and providing a roadmap
with clear commitments and timelines to its implementation.
The introduction of a Green Energy Act is strongly recommended as
crucial to providing an overarching and comprehensive framework for
renewable energy uptake so that in the near future the necessary steps
will be taken to attract local as well as international investors.
The Congress strongly recommends the world's governments to establish an
obligation to use renewable energy for water heating as well as space
heating and cooling in residential, industrial, commercial and public
sector buildings.
On the international level, the introduction of a global feed-in tariff
system is recommended as a primary instrument to foster international
technology transfer and finance scaling up of renewables, especially in
the third world. Such a global feed-in tariff has the unique potential
of overcoming the blockage in the current climate change negotiations.
For offgrid and non-electrical systems, further intelligent financing
mechanisms such as large-scaled microcredit and soft loan programmes
should be applied. All aspects of capacity building for renewable
energy, including resource assessment, have to be given priority in
education as well as in research and development. This is ineluctable in
order to create awareness and knowledge of the true and full potential
and vast variety of renewable energies as well as the true threats of
fossil and nuclear energies.
The Congress welcomes and endorses the strong support and the
cooperation of all the renewable energy technologies through the
International Renewable Energy Alliance.
The Congress is delighted by the recent establishment of the
International Renewable Energy Agency Irena and urges all renewable
energy proponents worldwide as well as the world's governments to give
full support to the establishment process in order to make sure that
IRENA can realise its leadership role on our way to a renewable energy
world.
Johannesburg, 14 October 2009
This is a brilliant article on how ESKOM misleads the public about power from IPPs and from Renewables:
http://www.eepublishers.co.za/view.php?sid=19111
Frank
So I was wrong. I have been saying that I thought the electricity price would be going up around 40% per year. But ESKOM has asked for 45% for the next 3 years.
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?from=rss_&fArticleId=5201562
The truth is, due to poor planning on government’s part and ESKOM’s profit focussed madness of the last few years, the truth is that electricity does indeed need to go up this much in order to fund ESKOM’s new build programme, and there is little doubt that conventional energy (coal and nuclear) will continue to become more expensive. Is there another way?
Those of us in the know would say a resounding YES! This is the way:
1) Energy Efficiency – the CHEAPEST way to create extra capacity and save business money. But this needs to be driven by someone other than ESKOM, as ESKOM does NOT WANT to their customers to reduce their consumption, whatever they might say. Consumption = profit. In ESKOM’s so called low-carbon model, Energy Efficiency plays the smallest of roles, where it should be creating an extra 40% of capacity, negating the need for new power stations
2) Renewable Energy – by the time a new nuclear plant is built in South Africa, there is a good chance solar technologies will be CHEAPER. Renewables are becoming cheaper all the time. They work with distributed multiple technology generation models, that increase energy security, using local resources. They create jobs. They can move revenue for energy from large corporations to communities or small local businesses. They can be introduced FAST.
Both the above also MASSIVELY reduced carbon emissions.
But ESKOM does not want you to know this, and they are doing everything in their power to distribute misinformation about the best way forward. I used to think that ESKOM was an elephant, blustering about doing their own thing. They are not. They are a HERD of elephants – one bull leading them forward, but many blustering about behind, leaving destruction in their path, all for their own benefit.
Even at the International Solar Energy Congress that I am attending in JHB, which ESKOM ironically is the main sponsor, the few times I have heard ESKOM speak they pretend to be keen on Renewables, but quietly introduce “problems” for their adoption – they are too expensive, the grid is not ready for large Renewables, they can’t do baseload. All not true.
But, whether in the short term, or the long term, Renewables will prevail in South Africa – but t what cost, economic, social and environmental, will be imposed on our country, before it does?
Frank
So, the International Solar Energy Society Congress for 2009 has just kicked off. Of course, the Platinum Sponsor is ESKOM, which is a great irony considering ESKOM’s negativity towards Renewables! SHARP is also a sponsor, being one of the world leaders in PV in the world, and also taking a very proactive view to the South African market, sponsoring policy development here, and even looking at local manufacturing.
G-Tech is proud to be a distributor of SHARP PV, and to be represented here at the ISES Congress – I hope to get an opportunity to stick my foot in it, to advocate for the use of Renewables in South Africa, and raise awareness of the energy security and climate change issues facing our current Energy Policy.
Watch this space for more ISES updates – if you would like to be on this mailing list and aren’t already, please let me know.
Frank
