INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
Energy sector must
embrace innovation
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Riaan Graham, Sales Director for
Ruckus Networks
S
outh Africa is experiencing an
energy crisis that requires the
public and private sectors, along
with households to work together. Riaan
Graham, Sales Director for Ruckus Networks,
says that embracing innovative technology
that provides efficient ways of managing
the country’s energy is fundamental to this.
“With the number of connected devices
expected to top more than 75 billion
worldwide by 2025, the Internet of Things
(IoT) can be considered an important tool in
reaching this goal,” said Graham.
“Already, connected devices can be used
to deliver smart energy that sees a more
optimal use of resources.”
This approach relies on a smart grid of
connected sensors pointing to areas where
www.intelligentcio.com
energy is wasted. In turn, the supply
to these points can be allocated to
higher priority areas resulting in a better
use of resources. name suggests, the plant converts general,
industrial and municipal waste into
an alternative fuel that is used in the
cement industry.
Aiding this drive towards connected
devices is government pushing towards the
establishment of smart cities. These require
a technological infrastructure built around
various sensors connected to the Internet to
not only generate data, but control things
as diverse as traffic lights, street lamps and
other electrical devices. “Spin off benefits of this plant includes
the creation of additional employment
opportunities and a reduction of South Africa’s
greenhouse gas emissions,” added Stubbs.
“These smart cities enable lighting to
be automatically switched off when not
needed,” added Graham. “Sensors on the
connected devices will detect when people
are on the street and turn it off or on
accordingly. What might seem like a novelty,
can make a massive difference in reducing
energy waste.”
According to Kate Stubbs, Director of
Business Development and Marketing
at Interwaste, IoT is just part of how
technology can be used to create a more
efficient environment.
“South Africa produces an average 108 million
tonnes of waste annually,” she explained.
“Of this, only 10% is recycled. There is
significant potential to use this waste and
convert it to energy. This is more than just
the traditional way of viewing recycling.
“Instead, it is using technology to extract
value out of waste through initiatives like
refuse and waste-derived fuel.
The first South African Refuse Derived
Fuel (RDF) plant was launched in 2016
and not only aims to reduce landfill, but
also the country’s carbon footprint. As the
“Waste management entails so much more
than what many people think. But the
key remains a combination of technology
innovation and a willingness to use the
resources generated by this.”
Graham agrees about the need to readily
accept the innovation technology brings
as the country is teetering on a significant
energy disaster.
“New technologies are critical in helping
the countries and their cities of the future
promote sustainable energy use. For
example, Nairobi has introduced smart street
lamps that use LED lighting saving money
and resources on energy costs.
“These lamp poles also have Wi-Fi embedded
in them that sees air quality probe sensors
submitted vital data for city planners on
where there are pollution hotspots.
Stubbs feels these are good examples of
how energy management approaches in the
connected world need to be non-linear.
“The traditional ways of adopting
technology, recycling and managing
energy must be seen as relics of the past,”
she said.
“Instead, we must all work together and
readily embrace modern solutions or risk our
country entering a new dark age.” n
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