Two new coal-fired stations in the pipeline are named Medupi and Kusile, power plants that have been designed by Eskom to minimise carbon emissions. These power plants are the first two in Africa to use the more-efficient “supercritical” (operate at higher steam pressures and temperatures) and “CCS-Space ready” design, which is the technology adopted by most Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries for all new power generation. In addition to using supercritical design, these power stations will be the largest dry-cooled power stations in the world, which is a further testimony to the sustainable infrastructure development policies of South Africa.
The investment projects are all part of the South African governement's aims to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent by 2020 and 42 percent by 2024, conditional on the provision of finance, technology and capacity building.
Concentrated solar power and wind technologies are expected to make a significant contribution to the government’s target of 10,000 GWh (about 1,667 MW equivalent) from renewable energy sources by 2013, which also includes the development of the solar water heating industry and interventions to reduce emissions in the industrial sector.
The 10,000 GWh target is equivalent to about 5 percent of the present electricity generation in South Africa. This is equivalent to replacing two (2 x 660MW) units of Eskom's combined coal-fired power stations.
In substituting for base-load coal power, wind power produces a net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and a net increase in biodiversity. When comparing renewable energy sources with each other and with conventional power sources, three main factors must be considered:
- capital costs (including, for nuclear energy, waste-disposal and decommissioning costs);
- operating and maintenance costs;
- fuel costs (for fossil-fuel and biomass sources—for wastes, these costs may actually be negative).
Overall, wind energy costs about the same as present-day power, and this makes me wonder why such a small percentage of investment is going into Wind Power projects. Mainstream Renewable Power recently stated on our national television broadcaster that, according to research they have been involved with for the last 10 years, South Africa has excellent wind power resources that are capable of supplying 75% of our countries' demand for electricity, at a cost per megawatt lower than that of coal-based power.
The countries' latest Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions (2008), published by the US Energy Information Administration, shows that we are dumping 451 million metric tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into our atmosphere every year. World figures for the same period are 30,337 million metric tonnes, which places South Africa high on top of the contributors list at 1.48% of Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions globally. A 34% reduction of 451m metric tonnes of greenhouse gases by 2020 will be 153m metric tonnes, leaving a balance of around 300 million metric tonnes anually. That is still a significant amount of pollution and poison.
Personally, I cannot equate the intended reduction in emissions with the small amount of investment and infrastructure of renewable & clean energy being proposed in the World Bank loan application by Eskom. I simply do not believe that enough is being done overall. For some reason the South African government seems adamant that coal-based power is still a way forward and perhaps this has a lot to do with protecting interests that certain individuals may have in the immense coal-based energy industry that South Africa owns.
Aartwerk.Net
SEO
Sources:
EIA
South African Government Information
0 comments:
Post a Comment