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Wind Energy

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Wind power is the use of wind turbines to mechanically power the generation of electric power. Levels of wind will differentiate depending on factors such as terrain, bodies of water and vegetative cover.[1] Wind turbines convert the wind into kinetic energy and mechanical power.[1] The wind turns the 50 metre long blades which are attached to the 80 metre high hub/shaft that generates the electric energy.[2]Wind turbines farms can be onshore or offshore; offshore has stronger winds and less of a visual impact[3].There are currently 19 wind energy developments in South Africa with more than 600 wind turbines.[4] Wind power is a renewable, widely distributed and clean form of energy. The production of wind energy doesn't produce green house gasses and is an alternative to burning fossil fuels. [5]

Geothermal energy

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Geothermal energy is generated from heat that is stored in the Earth. The geothermal energy is that is generated from the Earth's crust is the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of material.[6] Geothermal heat pumps tap into the ground to use this resource as a source of energy[7].The production of geothermal energy is a clean and sustainable form of energy.[7] There are currently no geothermal energy practices in South Africa but there are projects underway to implement them.[8] Geothermal measurements have been made throughout South Africa and and it demonstrated that there is high geothermal potential and that the temperatures are ranking from medium to high on the global scale. [8]

Biomass

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Biomass is physical biological material that comes from living or recently living organisms. It comes from plants or materials that are derived from plants which are called lignocellulosic biomass.[9] Biomass has the capacity to produce electricity, heat or liquid fuels.[10] Biomass can be used as an energy source by directly using it for heating or cooking fuel or to generate electricity**BANKS**. It can also be used indirectly by using its biological processes and producing ethanol, methanol and fuel that can be used to transportation and cooking processes **BANKS**. Wood is currently the largest producer of biomass fuel today with tree stumps, forest residue, dead tress and wood chips as examples. Animal matter and plant matter can also be converted into forms of biofuel.[11] South Africa currently has several biodiesel production facilities in production **BANKS**. With 42 million hectares of natural woodlands and 1.35 million hectares of plantation; there is a large potential for biomass production in South Africa.[12]The South African government has an objective called the Working for Energy Programme which is aimed at processing biomass energy for various applications[13].

Policies & Regulations

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International Renewable Energy Agency

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South Africa is currently a member of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) which is an international organization that promotes the use of renewable energy policies. The IRENA aims at providing countries with tools to create policies and the transition of technology necessary with renewable energy.[14] It provides an assessment on resources, finance management, policy and legal framework and the capacity of the energy sector.[14]

Energy Providers

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The South African energy sector is dominated by the company Eskom. Eskom currently produces 95% of South Africa's electricity. Due to their large presence in the non-renewable energy sector, there are independent power producers (IPP) who are capable of providing renewable energy sources**PEGELS**) In order to reach the 10,000 GWh target of renewable energy, the government has joined agencies and implemented policies to promote independent power producers in implementing renewable energy.[15] BioTherm Energy is the leading IPP because of their three wind and solar projects that are involved in REIPPPP.[16] Mulilo is a South African company who provides clean energy such as wind and solar to the national grid. Mulilo is a member of the South African REIPPPP and have won 420MW worth of projects. They currently have 30MW of solar PV operational and have another 185MW scheduled. By the end of 2017 Mulilo will have 240MW for wind power contributions.[17] juwi South Africa is a renewable energy company who is also one of the world's leading renewable energy companies. juwi South Africa's main focus is on the production of solar energy on a utility and commercially scale, as well as onshore wind energy. judi South Africa has build five utility scale solar plants under the REIPPPP and they are also a member of the independent power producers. [18]

  1. ^ a b "Wind Energy Basics". windeis.anl.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  2. ^ Farm, Jeffreys Bay Wind. "How big are the wind turbines? | Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm | South Africa". jeffreysbaywindfarm.co.za. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  3. ^ Gipe, Paul (1993-01-01). "The Wind Industry's Experience with Aesthetic Criticism". Leonardo. 26 (3): 243–248. doi:10.2307/1575818. JSTOR 1575818. S2CID 191393110.
  4. ^ "Stats and Facts SAWEA". SAWEA. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  5. ^ Fthenakis, Vasilis; Kim, Hyung Chul (2009-08-01). "Land use and electricity generation: A life-cycle analysis". Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 13 (6–7): 1465–1474. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2008.09.017.
  6. ^ Dye, S. T. (2012-09-01). "Geoneutrinos and the radioactive power of the Earth". Reviews of Geophysics. 50 (3): RG3007. doi:10.1029/2012RG000400. ISSN 1944-9208. S2CID 118667366.
  7. ^ a b "Geothermal Energy". www.renewableenergyworld.com. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  8. ^ a b Tshibalo, A.E. (April 25, 2015). "Evaluation of the Geothermal Energy Potential for South Africa" (PDF). Pangea Stanford. Retrieved https://pangea.stanford.edu/ERE/db/WGC/papers/WGC/2015/16054.pdf. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help); External link in |access-date= (help)
  9. ^ GB, Forestry Commission. "Biomass Energy resources". biomassenergycentre.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  10. ^ "Biomass Power". www.eskom.co.za. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  11. ^ "DEVELOPING A WILLOW BIOMASS CROP ENTERPRISE FOR BIOENERGY AND BIOPRODUCTS IN THE UNITED STATES (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  12. ^ Mcqueen, Duncan (Aug.2013). "South African Biomass Energy". Research Gate. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Biomass Energy | Department of Environmental Affairs". www.environment.gov.za. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  14. ^ a b "IRENA REsource". resourceirena.irena.org. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  15. ^ "Renewable Energy Market Transformation" (PDF). World Bank. July 2005. Retrieved March 29th, 2017. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  16. ^ "BioTherm Energy". www.biothermenergy.com. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  17. ^ "Aboutus-Mulilo". Mulilo. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  18. ^ "juwi South Africa - Wind and Solar Energy -juwi.co.za". www.juwi.co.za. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
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