Feedback from Southern Africa Energy Efficiency Conference [12/13 Nov - JHB]

We've heard from G-Tech Energy who are attending the SAEEC at Emperors Palace today and tomorrow.

Here are some notes about some of the proceedings thusfar:

"I am currently attending the South African Energy Efficiency Conference, and the minister of energy, Dipuo Peters, just spoke. Here are my notes from her talk:

·There was acabinet discussion yesterday on the National Integrated Resource Plan
oPresident asked – “Are there the necessary skills and resources?”
oMinister, after seeing the audience today, would reply: “Yes – they need to be deployed appropriately”
·Energy Sector = Critical for growth, criticial for poor South Africans
·Minerals gave form to industrialisation
·Cheap Energy has not promoted Energy Efficiency – they have been opposed to each other
oThis is an unsustainable paradigm, supply orientated only
oEnergy / GDP very high
·Energy = 80% of emissions
·Must do more RE & EE
·2005 EE target - 12% against projected national energy usage by 2015
·Mines can do 15% with no cost / low cost technologies + good housekeeping
·Biofuels into mix for road freight
·Alternative ways for heating in low-cost housing
·Integrated Energy Centres for communities
·Technologies on the road map: Nuclear, wind, solar, CCS
·Have we done what is required? Do we live our lives according to what we preach? We all should be living energy efficiently
·Need more Energy Efficiency activists"

AND ALSO:

"Just had the privilege of hearing Andrew Etzinger, MD of ESKOM, talk on EE & DSM. Some notes:

·Price increase will be 45% for 3 years, then 5%, then 9%.
·EE budget is 34 billion for 5.5 GW / 19423 GWh/year

I posed the question to him about why ESKOM is driving both DSM (Demand Side Management) and EE (Energy Efficiency), since DSM is about managing the demand so you can sell more electricity, and EE is about reducing the amount of electricity sold? He replied that at the moment they are the only body with the capacity to do EE, and would like, in time, see that role go to some other body.

I say, will the NEEA (National Energy Efficiency Agency) please stand up, please stand up, and ask that the R34 billion rather go to them – I guarantee you that they can do significantly more with it!"

Source: Frank Spencer - G-Tech Energy
Also see this Engineering News article for more on this topic.