South Africa's Western Cape Province is set to deliver solar water heaters to reduce energy demand. Environment, Planning and Economic Development MEC Tasneem Essop, and Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, have announced the launch of a solar water heater project that will roll out 1 000 geysers and establish a training academy to establish a pool of installation contractors.
Meanwhile the City of Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo has said the city would install 10 000 solar water heaters, distribute compact fluourescent light bulbs, instal geyser electricity controls, and use solar-powered traffic lights* to help reduce the city's peak power demand of 3 500 MW. Together, these initiatives are expected to reduce peak demand by 325 - 475 MW at a cost of R397 - R577 million. That's somewhere in the range of R1 - R2 million per megawatt saved. In contrast, the Medupi coal-fired power station being built in Limpopo Province will cost at least R15 million per megawatt of generating capacity - proving yet again that reducing power consumption is far more cost-effective than increasing supply.
*After testing locally-manufactured solar-powered LED street lights, manufacturing company Broadwing Technologies figures retrofitting street lights could save 1 MW for every 12 000 to 15 000 units. Johannesburg has more than 140 000 conventional high pressure sodium and older mercury vapour street lights that could be converted.
That is quite a difference in cost per megawatt! And the reduction is a triple savings - energy, cost & environment.
There is something else which I found quite interesting that I came across yesterday - the amount of water required to produce energy. Check this out, How Much Water Does It Take to Make Electricity?
Posted by: Duncan Drennan | 25 April 2008 at 01:12 PM