Eskom goes solar

[rpm]

Eskom goes solar

Eskom has embarked on a pilot project that will see it using the power of the sun to generate electricity at three of its facilities.

 

[nakedpeanut]

About time! We got such large open places in the karoo, and north coast, they could easily setup a mirror farm or two there to generate electricity!

 

[entrepr]

The units at Megawatt Park will supply 5% of auxiliary power to its administration building.

The total electricity generated from all these solar PV plants is 1.55MW

Let's hope Eskom moves past the pilot phase fairly rapidly into serious PV generation! Photovoltaics have been around commercially for at least 40 years and Eskom itself had a programme in the '90s, so to trumpet the generation of 5% of auxiliary power and a mere 1.55 MW at this stage is encouraging progress but also indicates disturbingly slow progress. Countries we should be benchmarking against are several orders ahead of us in terms of power generated.

 

[guest2013-1]

A cheaper venture would be to convert each municipality's waste-treatment facilities into biogas electricity plants. It's much cheaper than putting up a few hectares of solar or wind or coal vs the amount of energy produced and the only "waste product" is fertilizer, which can be resold cheaply to curb some of the cost at running these plants. 500kW could be generated PER plant and we'd have an abundance of electricity at the end of the day. POOP POWER > SOLAR POWER

 

[flarkit]

About time! We got such large open places in the karoo, and north coast, they could easily setup a mirror farm or two there to generate electricity!

Also some excellent spots for wind-farming, with little arable land, plus open space far from populated areas and some of the Cape's best windy conditions. Why then did we not go ahead with wind-power, even though this in combination with solar power, could solve so many of our power issues?

My answer would be: Eskom shareholders.

 

[Crusader]

Wind power isn't all that great either. No wind = no power. Too much wind and it has to be shut down to prevent damage.

 

[kimbo]

Why cant the man on the street sell electricity to the grid?

Example: A Farmer owns x amount of land but he can only work 50% of it, he sets up a mirror farm and generates electricity for his own use and sell the rest to the grid. Now in the lean years the mirrors can carry him, and we don't loose farmers so vitally important for the country's economics.

 

[guest2013-1]

Why cant the man on the street sell electricity to the grid?

Example: A Farmer owns x amount of land but he can only work 50% of it, he sets up a mirror farm and generates electricity for his own use and sell the rest to the grid. Now in the lean years the mirrors can carry him, and we don't loose farmers so vitally important for the country's economics.

That is what a lot of foreign first world countries do, they allow you to sell back to the grid and in Germany (?) it's more profitable working a solar-farm than it is a real farm.

 

[guest2013-1]

Wind power isn't all that great either. No wind = no power. Too much wind and it has to be shut down to prevent damage.

Poop power = always available

Not to mention decreasing the methane emissions (which excrement from us and animals are the main contributors)

 

[nyquist]

Why cant the man on the street sell electricity to the grid?

Example: A Farmer owns x amount of land but he can only work 50% of it, he sets up a mirror farm and generates electricity for his own use and sell the rest to the grid. Now in the lean years the mirrors can carry him, and we don't loose farmers so vitally important for the country's economics.

I should think one of the main reasons they do not synchronise more often....they probably look at the amount of power they will get from synchronising with certain farmers...look at also how many customers can be supplied from that source and look at also the expenses involved in synchronising the main grid with the farmers source....the factor here is the ROI (return on investemnt)....is it feasible? if not...scratch the idea! I just wonder if this factor was also taken into consideration on this R90m PV solar project or the main aim here was just based on reducing carbon emissions :-?

 

[dkhaley]

Why cant the man on the street sell electricity to the grid?

Example: A Farmer owns x amount of land but he can only work 50% of it, he sets up a mirror farm and generates electricity for his own use and sell the rest to the grid. Now in the lean years the mirrors can carry him, and we don't loose farmers so vitally important for the country's economics.

When I lived in Austria, you would see something similar. You'd see planted fields, with a grid of wind turbines in the middle of the field. Not sure who owned the turbines, though.

Likewise, in much of the US you can sell electricity back to the grid, at the same price the power companies charge. I don't know anyone who has done this, but it does happen.

 

[Paul_S]

Why are Eskom playing with PV panels? They're not economical and when the sun sets you're screwed.
They should be looking at solar thermal (molten salt) type farms where energy is stored for use later (24/7 generation capacity).

Peak electricity demand is between 6 and 9 PM and that's when the sun sets in summer (or has already set in winter).
Bunch of morons ...

 

[kimbo]

Escom just open the grid, do what you have to, to let the public sell electricity to you and you will not have to spend billions on new power stations

@Paul_S
If the public can sell back electricity not every one who does the selling back will do the solar power some will do wind power some will do solar thermal, and who knows what more ways will be opened up

Like some communities now who plant vegetables, some communities can stand together and allocate a piece of land to develop a mirror farm or what ever and so get power for them and sell the excess back to Escom and use the money for food to feed the people

 

[HavocXphere]

Peak electricity demand is between 6 and 9 PM and that's when the sun sets in summer (or has already set in winter).
Bunch of morons ...

They are used for base load, not peak so it doesn't really matter that its not available at peak.

The total electricity generated from all these solar PV plants is 1.55MW

This is a bit of a problem. With ~40 GW demand that 1,55 MW isn't going to get us very far.

Why cant the man on the street sell electricity to the grid?

Example: A Farmer owns x amount of land but he can only work 50% of it, he sets up a mirror farm and generates electricity for his own use and sell the rest to the grid. Now in the lean years the mirrors can carry him, and we don't loose farmers so vitally important for the country's economics.

Pretty sure Eskom does that already, though I think its not split like that. They just don't allow residential consumers to sell their 0.001 megawatt back to the grid.

Never mind the selling back. I'd settle for a device that feeds the house via PV and the grabs the shortfall from the grid. That way one could start small & add panels. My electrician friends tell me its do-able...but costs 20k. ftl...

 

[duderoo]

The power utility, together with Pubic Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba

 

[MyWorld]

My electrician friends tell me its do-able...but costs 20k. ftl...

If it only costs R20k I would have done it already.

To generate around 8kWp, for a normal MyBB household (PC's, refrigerators, TV's, washing machines, etc.) with very little room to spare, is going to set you back way over R100k. Then you are off the grid and on your own.

 

[Paul_S]

If it only costs R20k I would have done it already.

Me too.

To generate around 8kWp, for a normal MyBB household (PC's, refrigerators, TV's, washing machines, etc.) with very little room to spare, is going to set you back way over R100k. Then you are off the grid and on your own.

Between R200K to R300K is probably a more accurate figure.
Batteries and inverter is about R100K, panels another R100K.
Then you still need to convert hot water to gas or solar heating and the stove/oven to gas as well.

 

[fusion01]

A drop in the ocean but a drop nonetheless. Enough to stop global warming? Never. We're all going to get very toasty down the line!

 

[zaidmo]

1.55 MW?
Realllly????

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Let's hope Eskom moves past the pilot phase fairly rapidly into serious PV generation! Photovoltaics have been around commercially for at least 40 years and Eskom itself had a programme in the '90s, so to trumpet the generation of 5% of auxiliary power and a mere 1.55 MW at this stage is encouraging progress but also indicates disturbingly slow progress. Countries we should be benchmarking against are several orders ahead of us in terms of power generated.

World's highest output solar power station puts out 392MW and occupies 1619 hectares of land. Our own ancient Koeberg station (almost 30 years old), takes up a fraction of the space and puts out 1800MW ... a bit like taking a knife to a gun fight no?

Most renewable endeavors will only ever be "auxiliary", if Eskom is serious about reducing their carbon footprint it is time to stop burning coal and start splitting atoms, a viable plan right this second which will buy us decades to dream about the tree hugging solution's feasibility.