GREEN POWER ISLANDS : ONE-STOP POWER SOLUTIONS
Edited by Sharyn Macnamara
South Africa generates approximately 85 % of its energy from coal . The national power utility , Eskom , can generate up to 45 000 megawatts per hour . Still , it has been unable to supply even 27 000MWh - giving rise to power cuts or loadshedding that can last several hours a day .
Image by Pexels | Pixabay
According to the latest news , load-shedding has cost South Africa approximately R1.2-trillion since its inception and has considerably increased the cost of doing business . Households and businesses are now without power for up to 10 hours daily because of load-shedding , which leaves business owners and citizens discouraged . “ The country is in a dire situation due to the lack of generation availability ,” says Mervyn Naidoo , CEO of ACTOM .
One of the most tangible effects of load shedding to everyday business owners is the additional amount they pay each month to maintain standard operational levels – whether installing solar , UPS ’ s or fuelling large-scale diesel generators . ACTOM ’ s technology and advanced products , together with their 12 specialist and integrated divisions , are positioned to address the issues facing the electro-mechanical industry . The company offers large-scale infrastructure installations to smaller projects and support services .
Enter the concept of a power island . This concept is growing substantial momentum worldwide and has already been successfully implemented in a few countries . The concept , simply
put , means the inde pendent operation of a whole network , or part of a network , that is isolated after being disconnected from the interconnected system , and having at least one power-generating module or HVDC System supplying power to this network controlling the frequency and voltage .
These networks offer the best solution to meet the growing electrical demands of industrialised countries . Green power islands also reduce the facilities ’ carbon footprint and maintain a costeffective management plan by reducing energy costs and providing a significant return on investment .
There are two conditions under which a power island can operate :
• Synchronised mode : this is when the plant is connected to a distribution system , which in turn is connected to the utility grid . In this case , power can be given to the grid , or if required , power can also be extracted from the grid . This method is enabled in both captive and independent power plants .
• Islanding mode : a power plant is said to be in islanding mode if it is dis sociated from the distribution system or power grid . In this case , the plant runs on house load , i . e ., a generator will generate only to cater for the in-house power requirement .
36 • African Mining • September 2023 www . africanmining . co . za