Vodacom looks to the sun for cleaner energy

ocleroux said:
Cool. Is it not feasable to power towers by solar also?
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It has been done to some degree, but there are quite a few solar panels needed to power a base station. Good old fossil fuels like diesel still a better solution :)
 
rpm said:
It has been done to some degree, but there are quite a few solar panels needed to power a base station. Good old fossil fuels like diesel still a better solution :)
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Tell that to mother nature! She will bitch slap you into tomorrow! :p Maybe Jannie should look into those portable Toshiba nuclear plants! lol
 
Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to embed solar panels into their seat cushions?
 
I saw somewhere how much solar power was generated in Germany. Many of the panels serve other purposes - for example to deflect highway noise into the air. Not much chance of it ever happening here - solar panels tend to go walkabout very soon after installation!
 
ocleroux said:
Cool. Is it not feasable to power towers by solar also?
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This makes me wonder about the feasibility of having wind farm towers that also serve as cellphone towers where there is sufficient space
 
Mouse said:
This makes me wonder about the feasibility of having wind farm towers that also serve as cellphone towers where there is sufficient space
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Good idea...but those blades are pretty long so not sure where the antennas etc would be mounted. Wind farms are also located far aways from population centres where there is lots of open space...so this would not work in cities of course.
 
I really wish more companies would do this, I am sure there are some green points you can earn and what an awesome way to get less reliant on the dodgy grid while reducing consumption at the same time. You should still have your diesel generators as a backup, especially in winter or during thunderstorms. One more point very apt in SA, solar panels eat heat, converting it to electrical energy, so your cooling bills also go down a bit:)

Mouse said:
This makes me wonder about the feasibility of having wind farm towers that also serve as cellphone towers where there is sufficient space
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Bloody brilliant idea!
ocleroux said:
Good idea...but those blades are pretty long so not sure where the antennas etc would be mounted. Wind farms are also located far aways from population centres where there is lots of open space...so this would not work in cities of course.
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They could go the vertical wind tower option, think in terms of those things on top of many chimneys, but much better. Nice thing with those is they have a smaller footprint, are less of a hazard to birds and can be stacked closer in farms as they have a smaller turbulence shadow. They could work in cities no problem.
 
Bern said:
I really wish more companies would do this, I am sure there are some green points you can earn and what an awesome way to get less reliant on the dodgy grid while reducing consumption at the same time. You should still have your diesel generators as a backup, especially in winter or during thunderstorms. One more point very apt in SA, solar panels eat heat, converting it to electrical energy, so your cooling bills also go down a bit:)


Bloody brilliant idea!


They could go the vertical wind tower option, think in terms of those things on top of many chimneys, but much better. Nice thing with those is they have a smaller footprint, are less of a hazard to birds and can be stacked closer in farms as they have a smaller turbulence shadow. They could work in cities no problem.
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I just Googled it, and discovered someone has already thought of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine

Small wind turbines may be used for a variety of applications including on- or off-grid residences, telecom towers, offshore platforms, rural schools and clinics, remote monitoring and other purposes that require energy where there is no electric grid, or where the grid is unstable. Small wind turbines may be as small as a fifty-watt generator for boat or caravan use.
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File:Quietrevolution_Bristol_3513051949.jpg
 
Awesome idea, but why not combine it with the below (Bahrain World Trade Centre, was actually designed by a South African like a half a decade ago)

"The three wind turbines are expected to provide around 10-15% of the power for both towers"

Combine the solar panels and the wind turbines and ..... GOODBYE ESKOM (well almost) hehe

http://inhabitat.com/bahrain-world-trade-center-turbines-activate/
 
Solar site solutions are old news:) Ericsson has been providing solar and E-site (wind,solar and battery backup) solutions since 2009 or so.
 
Mouse said:
This makes me wonder about the feasibility of having wind farm towers that also serve as cellphone towers where there is sufficient space
Click to expand...

ocleroux said:
Good idea...but those blades are pretty long so not sure where the antennas etc would be mounted. Wind farms are also located far aways from population centres where there is lots of open space...so this would not work in cities of course.
Click to expand...

Mouse said:
I just Googled it, and discovered someone has already thought of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine



File:Quietrevolution_Bristol_3513051949.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorry - was too lazy to provide links as there are so many designs and projects out there in this line. Wanted to just point out vertical designs generally deal with the major issues you run in to with normal horizontal turbines (except for the lack of wind).

If you are interested there are some really cool other wind options, the two best are the "floating" turbine, basically a helium balloon around a turbine, and a high altitude kite option (pull up, float down linked to a winch/alternator on the ground) which both take advantage of high altitude wind currents which are stronger and more reliable. But, those are for larger scale operations and I think forget about things like airplanes in high density areas or routes.
 
Gozzy said:
Awesome idea, but why not combine it with the below (Bahrain World Trade Centre, was actually designed by a South African like a half a decade ago)

"The three wind turbines are expected to provide around 10-15% of the power for both towers"

Combine the solar panels and the wind turbines and ..... GOODBYE ESKOM (well almost) hehe

http://inhabitat.com/bahrain-world-trade-center-turbines-activate/
Click to expand...

I also thought, why not have these electricity generating turbines attached between tall buildings in cities, where the design of the city creates channels that wind blows through already.

Imagine how difficult it would be to co ordinate projects like that :wtf:
 
In SA we have a big problem with municipalities, generating a lot of income from electricity. As more companies move towards these kind of solutions, the municipalities will have to get the revenue from other sources. So most likely property tax will go up.
 
zamicro said:
In SA we have a big problem with municipalities, generating a lot of income from electricity. As more companies move towards these kind of solutions, the municipalities will have to get the revenue from other sources. So most likely property tax will go up.
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If they implemented a buyback scheme it could offset their revenue loss. If they pay say 80% of what they pay Eskom or had a credits scheme going they could reduce the entire area's reliance on centralised power. Realistically most people will be reliant on central power for a long time, so I doubt it would affect their revenues that much if a few big businesses go "green".

The City of Cape Town are even thinking of putting up a big wind turbine where the old power station was on the N2 (not sure if this would ever actually happen though - it would be great even just for marketing), so I am sure the will is there.
 
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