Air pollution: Is Jo’burg poised to become the next Lagos?
By Jack Ward, CEO of Soltra Energy
When the lights go out in Lagos, Nigeria
– which happens on a regular basis – the generators fire up. Gradually, like
fireflies emerging from a slumber on a hot summer’s night, the city lights
flicker and re-ignite.
With increasingly frequent electricity
outages – load-shedding – being a feature of life in Lagos (as it is in
Johannesburg), diesel exhaust pollution is also getting worse. Fumes from
generators and heavy commercial vehicles now combine to raise air pollution to
levels that can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
While pollution levels in Johannesburg,
the industrial heart of South Africa, may not have reached crisis levels yet,
there are those who believe a Lagos-like scenario is not too many years away,
unless steps are taken to avoid it.
Eskom’s load shedding schedule remains
as relentless as ever, with no end in sight to daily electricity outages. The
answer, for many South African businesses and homes, has been the installation
of a generator.
It’s a short term solution. The price of
diesel is on the rise, meaning that the costs of keeping the lights on will rise
over time – much as Eskom’s prices will inevitably continue to rise.
For those who believe in keeping the air
breathable – and the evenings noise-free – the promotion of green solutions to address
a potential pollution problem is a priority.
In this light, there a couple of
solutions that are immediately available. Let’s take the uninterruptible power
supply (UPS) system. Eminently more ‘green’ than the diesel generator, the
price of a UPS is determined by its size and the number of batteries in its battery-pack.
Both play vital roles in determining the total number of hours of back-up time available.
An installation’s requirements depend on
a number of less-than-obvious factors, such as the maximum possible load
required, the average likely load and the level of redundancy that may
be needed to be on the safe side.
One of the advantages of a UPS system is
its ‘power conditioning’ effect or the removal of so-called spikes and
brown-outs from the power supply. This is vital for sensitive computer equipment.
The down-side is it needs electricity to charge its batteries.
Significantly higher up the ladder in
terms of its ‘green appeal’ is solar photovoltaic (PV) power. Not initially considered
as a stand-by power supply solution, solarPV plus battery installations are now
gaining momentum, helped by improving technology and falling hardware and
battery prices. The Tesla Powerwall is a clear example of how storage
technology is advancing and prices are falling.
Grid-tied, hybridised solarPV plus
battery installations are targeted at domestic, commercial and industrial
markets. Ideal for rooftop installations, they offers backup battery autonomy
and are thus geared for load-shedding.
What will save Jo’burgers from
Lagos-like pollution is their readiness to accept rooftop solar PV power
solutions against the backdrop of concerns over power reliability, price hikes
and the lack of leadership as Eskom lurches from one crisis to another.
When comparing the cost of setting up
a solar plus battery solution to that of Eskom’s rising prices, parity has
pretty much been reached. Should Eskom receive the 12.69% increase it has
requested for the 2015/2016 billing period, solar will represent better value
for money.
This calculation is supported by the Residents
and Business Owners Association of the Johannesburg suburb of Parkhurst which
has launched an ambitious plan to become a model of self-sufficiency and green
living by persuading 2000 homeowners to install full solarPV plus battery
systems over the next five years in a bid to cut ties with Eskom.
It is becoming clear that the current
trend is away from generators, as users embrace nature’s free alternative.
Find us:
No comments:
Post a Comment