Tanzania: Energy Deals Faulty - Ewura

Dar es Salaam — Power production agreements that are not handled transparently are the reason for the recent problems in the energy sector.

The poor outcomes, according to the Energy and Water Utility Regulatory Authority (Ewura), always result in frustrations among the general public, politicians and other stakeholders in the sector.

The revelations were made in the city yesterday as local stakeholders in the sector met with their Kenyan counterparts with the Tanzanian side wishing to draw some lessons from the neighbouring country.

According to Ewura's director general Haruna Masebu there has been an overlap of responsibilities in the government that have led to poor planning, procurement and contracting in the power sector.

"We want to achieve consensus on the best way for government entities to cooperate in power sector planning, procurement and contracting. Ewura is committed to improving the outcomes of power procurement," Mr Masebu said.

The director general said his entity was also responsible for approving the initiation of procurement of power projects and approving purchase agreements. He said guidelines were underway to ensure procurement processes were following stipulated laws.

NSSF power project on course

By ORTON KIISHWEKO,  THE 150MW National Social Security Fund (NSSF) power project is likely to get a boost of $100m (160bn/-) in the ongoing bidding process. In an interview on Sunday , the NSSF Procurement Manager, Ms Amina Abdallah, confirmed that the bids have reached advanced stages and that they would be announced before the year ends. "I cannot give details since we are in the last stages but this should come before the year ends," she said. Four companies have submitted bids for the tender including BGR Energy (Siemens Machines) $183,520,000, Megawatt (Rolls Royce machine): $155, 273,820); Megawatt (GE machine): $177,901,620; and Isolux Corsan: $143,987,200.

Jet Stream Wind Industry – To Catch The Big Wind

By Colin Houghton

Scientists are eyeing the jet stream, an energy source that rages night and day, 365 days a year, just a few miles above our heads. If they can tap into its fierce winds, the world’s entire electrical needs could be met, they say.

 

They believe that the total global energy contained in wind is 100 times the power used by everyone on the planet. If we could tap into just one per cent of that energy, they say it still wouldn’t produce a major adverse effect on the environment. The jet stream is made up of several large currents of high-speed air that rush eastward through the upper atmosphere. Six miles high, the winds have exceeded 300 mph.

Researchers in California and around the world believe huge kite-like wind-power generators could be the solution and they are continuing further work towards a complete solution.

 

By lofting generators into the upper atmosphere, scientists theorize they could capture the power of the jet stream and transmit the electricity along cables back to Earth.

A wind machine, floated into such a high power wind, would transmit electricity on aluminum or copper cables- or  perhaps even through invisible microwave beams- down to power grids, where it would be distributed to homes and businesses. Unlike ground-based wind generators, the high-altitude devices would be too high to be heard and barely visible against the blue sky. That would mean no complaints about the sound of conventional wind turbines, and no visible impact on the environment. Science fantasy or fact?

South Africa’s first commercial wind farm

South Africa’s first commercial wind farm, the Darling wind farm, began generating in May 2008 with four turbines, each producing 1.3 MW

By Colin Houghton

A study by Frost & Sullivan:  ”Mega Trends in Africa: A bright vision for the growing continent” was released at an African growth, innovation and leadership conference in Cape Town last month (August).  According to this Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic, chronic power problems impede growth and productivity in more than 30 African countries. Inadequate generation capacity, limited electrification, low demand for power, unreliable service, and skyrocketing prices cause serious problems in the sector. Countries would have to spend $40-billion annually over 10 years and take decisive steps to improve the efficiency of power utilities in order to remove these challenges.

But these very challenges present massive potential for renewable energy development, primarily driven by the need to provide electrification to remote communities. The analysis notes that over the next ten years, renewable energy initiatives will be dominated by wind powerprojects, such as the Ashegoda wind farm in Ethiopia  and Tanzania’s Singida wind farm.

A wind farm in the Ngong hills on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya

It is ironic that Africa is endowed with both fossil and renewable energy resources that could more than adequately cover its energy needs, yet remains the most poorly electrified continent in the world. The report said “The proportion of people without electricity in Africa is higher than anywhere else on the planet, with as little as 5% of the population having direct access to electricity in some countries.”
 

Things are already happening. In West Africa a wind farm that will supply a quarter of the electricity needs of the Cape Verde islands started operations this August.  

The 25.5MW Cabeolica wind farm will provide power to four islands in the archipelago, which is 570km off the coast of West Africa. The islands have a population of around 500,000 with just under 400,000 tourists visiting annually.

The Cape Verde project

The islands have world-class wind resources of 10m/s, as they lie in the Trade Winds belt, although that also means they can be subject to hurricanes. More than one fifth of the population of the former Portuguese colony is desperately poor, living on less than a pound a day. The development of wind projects will reduce reliance on expensive imported diesel and fuel oil.

Location of Cape Verde islands

LoopWing wind turbine

This Japanese design, the LoopWing wind turbine, was unveiled at the 2006 Japanese Eco-Products Exhibition. At that time, it was said that the turbine was aimed at homeowners, and featured a unique wing design that operated with low vibration and as wind speeds as low as 1.6 m/sec.

Efficiency specifications were less detailed. It is claimed that the turbine rotates at wind speeds as low as 2m/s while achieving over 40% co-efficiency at around 8m/s in wind tunnel experiments. A year later LoopWing won the Tokyo Technical Venture Award 2007, a prize given by Tokyo Metropolitan Government to those venture businesses attempting to bring about innovative technologies and products with the aim of vitalizing Tokyo and creating employment in the city.

The LoopWing uses  loop-shaped blades – helping to overcome problems suffered by conventional wind turbines, such as the noises created by tip vortex, vibration, relatively short life span, and the heavy weight of the turbine. As the turbine’s blade is looped, it has no pointed tip to create a vortex, reducing noise and drag force. The technology uses waterproof oil-bath bearings and a sealing system from marine engineering, achieving what the manufacturer’s say is 20-year design life.

Each blade and the main shaft are connected at two ends; with the tip, they form a three-point truss structure where each point is supported against two others to produce an increased tolerance to vibration.  It’s also claimed that because some people have an aversion to the rotating knife-like blades of traditional wind turbines, the LoopWing’s slow-rotation and unusual appearance goes some way towards mitigating this.

Installation at Gala Aoi Umi Corporation in Okinawa

 At the Renewable Energy World event last year, one of the models of LoopWing type wind powergenerator called the TRONC was shown. It features a hybrid solar and wind energy generator and it doesn’t need extra source of energy. The TRONC has a small windmill and sunlight panel mounted on top plus the familiar LoopWing style blade, 1.5 meters in diameter.  The South Korean company LoopWing Korea, is planning to create and market this hybrid renewable energy generator.     

                                                              

Unusually, LoopWing and the world famous craft kit manufacturer Tamiya came together to produce a craft model that lets you see the LoopWing in miniature action and see how it works.

The turbine drives a generator that then charges a little model car that plugs onto the top of the generator body. The energy is collected in a super capacitor that can then run the car for about 3 minutes on a full charge.

 

Leadership Changes in Zambia, Chinese Meaning

Leadership Changes in Zambia, Chinese Meaning
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
New leadership in Zambia could have a direct impact on one of its major investors and renewable energy proponent: China. Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata was sworn in as president on September 23, winning the majority of the votes with 45% compared to incumbent Rupiah Banda’s 35%, but his stance on China has many speculations rising to the forefront. And one of the major platforms that helped Sata’s campaign drive was his promise to share the country’s mineral wealth – particularly from its copper mines – with the public within 90 days. Mining firms and investors are concerned with the new leader’s promises which will force them to handover 25% interests to local firms, similar to Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe’s indigenization plan. Bloomberg quoted a Citigroup Inc. sub-Saharan Africa strategist that predicted a Sata administration will likely lead to higher taxes for mining companies. During Banda’s three-decade tenure, favorable taxes and regulations were implemented to entice copper mining companies and boost production to more than 700,000 metric tons just in the past year.

South Africa’s Green Coca Cola Plant

IBC Solar’s South African partner Lapp Group has successfully installed a solar PV system in Coca Cola’s Valpré plant at Heidelberg, South Africa. The system, helping to cut carbon emissions by 29.5 tons, is expected to generate about 50,000 kWh per year.

IBC supplied 132 IBC PolySol modules and two inverters with Lapp completing the installation and will be responsible for maintenance of the facility. “The company is setting a good example by building this PV facility”, said Alexander Müller, who is responsible for the Off-Grid Power Supply business at IBC Solar

Portable Solar Energy Hits Rwanda

Rwandan company Hasty Energy Ltd. and Taiwanese firm Nanowin Technology are shedding light in the East African country via portable solar energy.

The equipment available to residents in Kigali include portable solar generators that produce between 150 watts and 300 watts per day with three lights, power supply for two mobile phones, and an additional power outlet. The controller has built-in protection to combat over charging with a six-year warranty battery.

While the price of the system is still being negotiated, an executive said that the entire package should not exceed $4,400.

Tanzania, Uganda Join for Hydropower

East African countries are moving forward with increasing their electricity generation capacity with the most current coming from Uganda and Tanzania. The two countries have signed an agreement to build a 16-MW hydropower plant that will generate electricity as early as 2012.

The Kikagati/Murongo hydropower project will be constructed on the Kagera River on the Uganda/Tanzania border, according to a statement released by the East African Community (EAC).

Goldwind to build 200m$ Wind Farm in Illinois, United States

By Colin Houghton

While on an economic trade mission to China, US Governor for Illinois, Pat Quinn (centre, above), visited Beijing and announced plans for Goldwind to build a major wind farm in Shady Oaks, Lee County, Illinois, US. Work will begin later this year.

Goldwind USA Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co, LTD, based in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. Goldwind USA established its headquarters in Chicago in 2010 to oversee operations in North and South America.
The Shady Oaks wind farm project, will provide 106.5 megawatts (MW) of power, and create more than 100 construction and a dozen permanent maintenance jobs in Illinois. The 71 permanent magnet direct drive 1.5MW Goldwind turbines will be manufactured in China, while some other components, such as the bearings for the turbines, will be manufactured by a US company in Ohio. Once operational, the project will provide enough energy to power 30,000 homes on the community.  The blades will be manufactured at LM Windpower’s facility in Grand Forks, South Dakota, a move that will help that company save 60-80 jobs which were slated to be laid off.

The cost of the project is estimated to be 200m$ and the energy produced will be sold to Commonwealth Edison under a 20 year power purchase agreement. Commonwealth Edison (commonly known as ComEd) is the largest electric utility in Illinois, serving the Chicago and Northern Illinois area.
“We intend to begin construction of the project in 2011,” Tim Rosenzweig, chief executive of Goldwind USA Inc., said in a recent interview. “We have a number of pending customers and expect to have significant orders in 2011.”

Kyoto Box Solar Cooker

Inizio RTX - World's Fastest Electric Car Vs. Tesla Roadster

Geothermal Energy The Power From Below!

"Geothermal" is from two Greek words – "geo" meaning the earth and "therme" meaning heat.

"Energy" stems from the Greek word "ergon" - meaning work.

Literally translated, geothermal energy is "the work of earth's heat".

So what is geo-energy and how does it work? Follow the link for detailed information - simply stated however, geothermal power is derived from the earth's super-heated water and rock. We use this source of energy to produce practical power such as electricity.

It is an enormous, underused heat and power resource that is clean (emits little or no greenhouse gases) and reliable.

Geothermal resources range from shallow surface pools, to hot water and rock several miles below the Earth's surface, and even further down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma.

Mile-or-more-deep wells can be drilled into underground reservoirs and tap steam and very hot water that can then be brought to the surface for use in a variety of applications.

DIY Solar Power

DIY solar power is VERY achievable. You CAN build cheap solar panels - BUT - you must proceed with caution.

Homemade Energy is fast becoming the buzz word in environmental circles.

Consumers are becoming fed up with the problems associated with using conventional energy resources.

Tired of rising costs and, in some cases, being subjected to rationing, many home owners are turning to the newest trend in energy conservation - DIY Solar Power Kits.

A number of companies are now producing homemade energy guides, available for instant download on the internet, which give you step by step instructions on how to assemble the materials for your own DIY solar power kits.

Convert Your Car Into A Water Powered Car!

It's time to beat insane fuel prices by converting your car into a water powered car!

Stop wasting your hard earned money at the pump - and reduce your environmental impact at the same time.

Save up to 70% on fuel costs while cleaning up your engines deadly CO2 emissions. As an added benefit you may also get a small boost in torque (especially uphill).

The big "secret" is that water can be turned into a POWERFUL fuel via an easy yet little known process...

It's so powerful that when it was first discovered, the government (influenced by big oil companies) banned it because it was too effective, and has the potential to significantly reduce the fuel taxes collected by government.

PLEASE NOTE - it is nearly impossible to run your car on water ALONE! There are systems out there claiming to be able to do this. Unfortunately this is not possible - yet!

Stanley Meyer is the only person who has claimed to be able to do this.

Stan had built what he called a "water fuel cell" which purportedly split hydrogen from water using less energy than is scientifically believed possible.

Unfortunately, Stan died (or was possibly poisoned) before he commercialized his work.

It currently takes too much energy to produce enough hydrogen from water to be able to run a car purely on water.

However, you can achieve amazing results by combining petroleum and water - in the form of HHO.

Solar Panels

Solar Panels - seems like a relatively simple topic Doesn't it? Sun hits a panel and converts to energy - end of topic... think again!

There are different types of panels, different materials, locations, mountings - and the list goes on.

We have sorted this complex area of alternative energy into easily digested sub-topics.

You can determine what depth of knowledge you wish to attain; read the overview here, and then follow the links that interest you which are
located at the bottom of the page.

"Solar panels" describes two types of devices that collect energy from the sun:

* Solar photovoltaic modules (most commonly referred to as a solar panel) use solar cells to convert light from the sun into electricity.

* Solar thermal collectors use the sun's energy to heat water or another fluid such as oil or antifreeze.

Solar panels are made up of arrays of photvoltaic cells arranged to make use of renewable energy from the sun. They and are a clean and environmentally sound means of collecting solar energy.

Photovoltaic modules can be used to charge your mobile phone or to power your entire house. Solar energy is a great way to reduce your environmental impact and save money as well.

The Photo-electric Or Photo-voltaic Effect

Light striking certain substances causes the surface of the material to emit electrons.

Light striking other substances causes the material to accept electrons.

It is the combination of these two substances that can be made use of to cause electrons to flow through a conductor.

This is process is referred to as the photo-electric or photo-voltaic effect.

How Photovoltaic Modules Work

The short video below explains how a solar panel works. More detailed text is provided below.

Photovoltaic refers to sunlight being converted into a flow of electrons (electricity).

Photovoltaic systems, or solar cells, are like generators that are fuelled by sunlight. They make electricity without waste, noise or pollution.

A solar cell is a solid state device in which there are no moving parts (except for photons and electrons) so there are no part that wear out.

The fuel is "photons". Photons can be thought of as "packets of sunlight" that carry a phenomenal amount of energy to earth at a very rapid rate.

The panels of today utilize the suns energy via silicon crystals with small amounts of impurity added.

This process of adding minute amounts of different elements into an otherwise pure crystal is called "doping".

By having two thin layers of doped silicon bonded against one another, an electric current can be induced when exposed to light.

How A Wind Turbine Works

Let's Take A Look At
How A Wind Turbine Works

The easiest way to understand how a wind turbine works is to think of a fan operating in reverse.

So instead of electricity spinning the blades to generate wind, the wind spins the blades to generate electricity!

A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy.

If the mechanical energy is used directly, such as to pump water, the machine is most commonly referred to as a windmill.

If the mechanical energy is converted to electricity, the machine is called a wind turbine, wind generator, wind power unit or a wind energy converter.

Basically, they operates as follows:

The wind turns the blades -> the blades spin a shaft -> the shaft connects to a generator -> the generator produces electricity!

For a detailed illustration with a breakdown of the working parts, go and take a look inside a wind turbine! 

The turbines are designed to exploit the wind energy that exists at a location. Aerodynamic modeling is used to factor the best tower height, control systems, number of blades, and blade shape.

Modern turbines fall into two basic groups - the horizontal-axis and thevertical-axis "egg beater" design. The following image shows the difference between the two designs.

Horizontal-axis turbines typically have either two or three blades. These three-bladed turbines are operated "upwind," with the blades facing into the wind. They are by far the most popular design for commercial applications.

BBEnergy Awarded Bundle of Projects Using Solar for Mining

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
BBE Group’s independent business unit BBEnergy just began operating in March and has already secured four projects worth a total of R60 million with the company accrediting its deep-level mine refrigeration and ventilation capabilities and its “world-leading prototype solar irradiation, energy collector technologies.” The awards are for projects that include design and implementation of technologies such as guide vane control of main fans, pump scheduling and optimization systems, and refrigeration scheduling and optimization systems. BBEnergy also designed, developed and constructed the first linear Fresnel concentrated solar energy collector in South Africa. The collector has been optimized for local environment conditions and constraints using almost 100% local content. Chris Nell, MD of BBEnergy, says there is huge potential for energy projects in South Africa and beyond its borders. “Our vision is first to become South Africa’s leading Energy Services Company (ESCO) and then to become a leading local player in solar technologies. In the long-term, we intend to expand our services abroad,” he said. Alternative Energy Africa is trying to reduce its own carbon footprint in 2011. Ask about our electronic subscriptions and online marketing campaigns specially tailored for individual companies. http://ae-africa.com/read_article.php?NID=3129

Abengoa Launches Algeria's Hybrid Solar Gas Plant

Monday, July 18, 2011
Abengoa launched the first hybrid solar-gas plant in Hassi R 'Mel, Algeria. The plant will generate electricity on a large scale using both natural gas and solar energy. The hybrid plant has a 150 MW capacity and consists of a natural gas combined cycle plant with a solar field of 224 parabolic trough collectors with the capacity to produce up to 25 MW of energy. The Hassi R 'Mel solar thermal plant is the first hybrid solar-gas plant in Algeria and the second that Abengoa has undertaken. The other facility, opened on May 13, is located in Ain-Beni-Mathar in Morocco. The Moroccan plant has a 470 MW capacity. Alternative Energy Africa is trying to reduce its own carbon footprint in 2011. Ask about our electronic subscriptions and online marketing campaigns specially tailored for individual companies. http://ae-africa.com/read_article.php?NID=3119

Zimbabwe Close to Meeting Electricity Demands

Thursday, July 21, 2011
Frost & Sullivan is confident that Zimbabwe, despite its energy and economic woes, is progressing towards meeting its required increases in electricity generating capacity. Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) called for “expressions of interest” to find financiers and contractors for the planned $1.3 billion expansion of two existing power plants. The country currently has an available capacity of 1,400 MW, including about 300 MW of electricity imports. “An increase in electricity generating capacity of 900 MW by 2013 will bring total available capacity to within 300 MW of projected demand.” explains Frost & Sullivan’s EPS Industry Analyst Vincent Maposa. The analyst added that it would be interesting to see how ZESA’s expansion of the Hwange and Kariba Power Stations will affect plans for private sector participation in power generation. It is possible that the government of Zimbabwe has concluded that large scale privately owned power plants will not be constructed in the short-to-medium term, due to a wide variety of constraints, and has decided to increase ZESA’s capacity,” Maposa said. Under the current system in Zimbabwe regarding pricing and regulatory environment, private sector penetration into the electricity generation market has been unfeasible. Maposa said that pricing wasn’t the only hurdle that the southern African country had to overcome. “The establishment of an Independent Systems and Markets Operator (ISMO), and legislative and regulatory amendments, are some of the basic fundamentals that need to be addressed in order to allow privately owned power generators to engage with development of large power plants.” Alternative Energy Africa is trying to reduce its own carbon footprint in 2011. Ask about our electronic subscriptions and online marketing campaigns specially tailored for individual companies. http://ae-africa.com/read_article.php?NID=3137&PHPSESSID=f6894088861928d45ed01360960f5a02

In Kenya, Huts Far Off the Grid Harness the Sun - NYTimes.com

BEYOND FOSSIL FUELS

African Huts Far From the Grid Glow With Renewable Power

Ed Ou/The New York Times

Thanks to this solar panel, Sara Ruto no longer takes a three-hour taxi ride to a town with electricity to recharge her cellphone. More Photos »

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Published: December 24, 2010

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KIPTUSURI, Kenya — For Sara Ruto, the desperate yearning for electricity began last year with the purchase of her first cellphone, a lifeline for receiving small money transfers, contacting relatives in the city or checking chicken prices at the nearest mark

Fossil fuels: Africa’s increasingly important strategic value

Given the significance of its reserves in combustible fossil fuels and its geographic proximity, Africa is establishing itself as a key partner for a Europe looking to diversify its suppliers and reduce its dependence on Russia and the Persian Gulf.

Europe and Africa at night.

© BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2007

The explosion in petrol prices and the increasing tension in the Near East in recent years have redefined Africa’s status as an energy partner for Europe. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2007, at the end of 2006 Africa accounted for 12.1% of global petroleum production and possessed 9.7% of established global reserves – a little less than half of Saudi Arabia’s reserves.

According to the same source, Africa’s production of natural gas last year represented 6.3% of the world’s total and this share is set to grow because its established reserves located primarily in Nigeria (2.9%), Algeria (2.5%), Egypt (1.1%) and Libya (0.7%) will make up 7.8% of the world’s reserves. But from Europe’s perspective, the importance of Africa is even greater. In 2005, around 20% of EU-25 imports came from Africa – with the figure reaching 14% for natural gas mainly coming from Libya, Nigeria and Algeria. Africa, and in particular the Gulf of Guinea, holds two main attractions for Europe – geographical proximity and a means of diversifying energy supplies to be less reliant on its two main sources, Russia and the Persian Gulf. These factors have been taken into account by Europe’s military and help explain why NATO manoeuvres took place for the first time in sub-Saharan in Cape Verde Africa in June 2006. This operation involved a simulation of military intervention in an imaginary sovereign state rich in natural resources.

http://www.acp-eucourier.info/Fossil-fuels-Africa.182.0.html