4 Jun 2020

4 of the Biggest Green Energy Projects in the Eastern Cape

by | posted in: Construction Chat | 0

4 of the Biggest Green Energy Projects in the Eastern Cape

Green energy is becoming very popular over time and more green energy projects are being developed almost every day. Going green is defiantly the trend in today’s era.

Something pretty awesome to think about is that the existing investment in South Africa’s sustainable energy projects totals to R142 billion, almost five times what SA paid for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I can defiantly believe this as I am a Regional content researcher in the projects department and the amount of sustainable energy projects I research is bizarre.

I want to tell you a bit about some of the biggest green energy projects in South Africa.

The first largest wind farm in South Africa is the Cookhouse Wind Farm. This wind farm comprises 66 Suzlon S8 wind turbine generators with a capacity of 135.8 MW. The cost of this wind farm was an estimate of 2.4 billion. This wind farm is located just outside of Cookhouse in the Eastern Cape.

Coming a close second is the R2.9 billion Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm that comprises of 60 turbines. Something quite awesome about this windfarms turbines is that if the wind blows too strong, at around 25mps, the turbines break automatically and then rotate to 90 degrees. Pretty nifty I would say.

Amakhala Emoyeni which means “aloes in the wind” in isiXhosa is Third on my list. This wind farm is located near Bedford in East London. This R3.94 billion wind farm comprises of 56 Nordex N117 / 2400 turbines with a capacity of 2. MW each.

Last but not least is the Enel’s Gibson Bay Wind Farm, with an estimated cost of R2 billion is located in the Kouga Municipality in East London. this wind farm has a capacity of 108.25MW.

Judging by the price tags on wind farms looks like going green is good for the environment and for your wallet.

Until we meet again.

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About Sonet van Wygaard

I started working at Leads 2 Business in 2014. I was part of the Tenders Africa team and moved to Projects in 2019. I love every second of it!

2 Apr 2018

10 Myths about Green

by | posted in: Did You Know | 0

10 Myths about Green

Most people want to do their part in saving Mother Earth and preventing global warming, make some sort of difference in the world, even if it is by doing something small. Sometimes, however, the small things that you do, doesn’t always seem to be the right thing. There are so many do’s and don’ts floating around that you seem to feel like a small kid with his mother telling you with a pointed finger “don’t do this”, don’t do that” and “ do this and do that”, that you feel you should just crawl into a little corner and remain there for the remainder of your life.

However, never fear, Mythbusters is here (well, almost)

 

Here are a few Myths about ‘Going Green’ that have been, as they say, busted…

 

Myth: The cost of going green is too much. 

Fact: Truth is that some are costly, however in the long haul, developing some ‘green habits’ will save money. In the long run, you will be saving more than what you realize.

Myth: All paper can be recycled.

Fact: Most paper can be recycled; however, used napkins, paper plates and pizza boxes cannot be recycled

 

Myth: Foods that are organic are more earth friendly

Fact: This is not always the case. It all depends on where it has been grown, for example, local fruits and vegetables grown a few kilometres from your house is better than those that are imported. Buying organic is all about weighing the pro’s and con’s

 

Myth: Always turn off the lights when leaving a room

Fact: Turn off your incandescent lights if you plan to leave the room for more than 5 seconds. Turn off your CFL (Compact fluorescent lamp) if you plan to leave the room for more than 15 minutes. The typical incandescent bulb lasts about 1,000 hours, while a 15-watt CFL bulb lasts 10,000 hours and a 12-watt LED bulb lasts 25,000

 

Myth: It is better to wash dishes by hand.

Fact:  Believe it or not, but using a dishwasher is more ‘greener’ than washing by hand. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. By waiting till it’s full, you make the best use of the water and energy needed to wash your dishes.

 

 

 

Myth: Paper Bags vs Plastic Bags

Fact: In actual fact, neither of these is the greener option, it is better to shop with reusable canvas bags

 

 

 

Myth: Holding on to your great-great granny’s washing machine is a way to recycle.

Fact: Older machines and household appliances uses much more power than the newer generation. Machines have evolved with mankind.

 

 

 

 

Myth: Switching your geyser off saves energy

Fact: Switching your geyser off and back on again actually uses more electricity, think of your geyser as a giant kettle, it has an element that heats your water up. When using some of the hot water, it will be ‘topped up’ with cold water causing the temperature to drop a bit. The element will kick in and re-heat the water to the set temperature. When you switch your geyser off the hot water will slowly go cold. Switching the geyser back on will cause the element to heat up all the water in the geyser, which uses more electricity than needed. If you go away on holiday then it will be plausible to switch your geyser off as to not use electricity. Alternatively, you can switch to a solar water heating system.

 

 

 

Myth: Small electronic devices don’t need to be unplugged

Fact: Any device that is not in use can draw some sort of current, such as a cell phone charger. If your mobile phone is not charging then unplug the charger. Even when they are “off”, TVs, electronic equipment, WIFI routers, and computers continue to draw electricity all day. Put them all on a power strip and shut them totally off at night or when you leave the house to reduce energy use and save money.


Myth: Doing your washing in cold water won’t get your washing clean.

Fact: Washing your clothes in cold water will get rid of any dirt, except for the worst dirt or oily stains (this can be washed in hot water), leaving your clothes looking and smelling clean, but without the energy spent on heating the water.

 

 

There are many simple ways you “can do” to help. Take the leap, take the small step, plant a tree and always remember the 3 RE ’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

 

 

 

 

 

Together we can help to save Mother Earth and look toward a better future.

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/13-ways-to-go-green-simple-ways-to-save-the-environment/
http://www.isotherm.co.za/switching-off-geyser-really-save-energy/

 

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About Nadine Vermeulen

I started working at Leads 2 Business in October 2014 in the Leads 2 Quotes Department. I managed all the Daily Tender Bill Requests and followed up on BoQ's for our Daily Tender Subscribers. In 2017, I was promoted to L2Q Assistant and now work with Bill of Quantities for Contractors. 🙂

7 Oct 2015

Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint

by | posted in: Construction Chat, General | 2

Carbon Footprint

What is a Carbon Footprint?

 

A Carbon Footprint is defined by the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organisation, or community.

When researching the ways to reduce your Carbon Footprint there were endless articles, so many in fact I nearly got lost in the green of it all. Let’s break it down.

10 Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint:

  1. Plant a Tree – A classic and for good reason. Trees provide shade and oxygen while consuming carbon dioxide. [tweetthis]One 10-year-old tree releases enough oxygen into the air to support 2 human beings.[/tweetthis]
  2. Energy Efficient Appliances – Look for the energy rating when purchasing appliances. The current South African label gives a rating from A down to G; with A being the best for refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and electric ovens. For most appliances, insist on an A-rated appliance, they are not difficult to find. (Old refrigerators in your house may be the inefficient equal of a G-rated fridge.) In addition to the letter rating, the label should carry an energy consumption number in kilowatt hours. It is often more useful to compare this number between models than to compare the letter rating.
  3. Switch Off – Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Turn off your computer when not in use, a computer that is off uses at least 65% less energy than one left on screensaver/standby. [tweetthis]Did you know that many electronic devices continue using energy even when off? This is known as Phantom Power.[/tweetthis] Unplug electronic devices when not in use.
  4. Drive Smart – Go for a hybrid when purchasing a new car and if you aren’t going to be doing that anytime soon make sure you keep your current vehicle properly maintained. Carpool if you can, the benefits are obvious. One car uses less fuel than two and much less than three. If you can’t carpool, stick to the following Carbon minimising tips: Don’t idle, travel light, accelerate smoothly, limit air-con use, warm up your car and plan ahead.
  5. Use CFL’s and LED’s – That’s Compact Fluorescent Lamps or Light Emitting Diodes. CFL’s use 75% less energy than an incandescent and last up to 10 times longer. LED’s are also extremely energy efficient; although not widely in use due to their cost, there is no question that LED’s are poised to supersede CFL’s in the future.
  6. Local is Lekker – Purchasing foods that are both in season and grown locally can drastically cut down the carbon emissions of the vehicles used to transport that food. The same concept goes for other goods and services as well as not to mention, you will be supporting the local economy too.
  7. Go Digital – There has been a lot of debate regarding the environmental costs of digital vs. print. The best policy to adopt is, “be mindful”. If you subscribe to a print paper, be sure to recycle your paper every day. If you prefer online news chose an unplugged laptop or e-reader, rather than a plugged-in device for the majority of your browsing time.
  8. Shower Power – [tweetthis]Taking a shower uses about 1/5 of the energy as taking a bath.[/tweetthis] You can also install a “low flow” shower head to limit the amount of water being used and take shorter showers.
  9. Recycle – Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to rubbish dumps and incinerators; prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials; saves energy; reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change; helps sustain the environment for future generations and helps create new jobs. Once you get in the habit of separating your cans, plastic, glass, paper and cardboard, it’s as easy as pie.
  10. Compost & Grow – It makes sense that what nourishes us from the earth should go back to nourishing the earth. Plant your own herbs and veggies. Not only does growing your own food make you a more conscientious global citizen, it brings you a sense of satisfaction.

 

Long story short, the more pollution that we let into the atmosphere, the worse it is for the environment. No matter what your view is on climate change these tips can save you money. Most of them don’t take that much time or effort and at the end of the month you may notice less coming out of the bank account which is a plus at any rate.

Why not start by calculating your Carbon Footprint here

 

 

Reuse Reduce Recycle
Reuse Reduce Recycle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.carbonfund.org/reduce

http://cotap.org/reduce-carbon-footprint/

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/minimisecfp.html

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/reduce-your-carbon-footprint/drive-smarter-for-a-better-planet/

About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Reach out if you want to talk: L2B, social media, construction, technology, marriage, parenting, popular culture and travel. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

15 Jul 2015

Why be Revolutionary? (The Sequel)

by | posted in: Construction Chat | 0

 

 

In my previous post, ‘Why be Revolutionary?’ I talked about the rise in popularity of alternative energy sources in South Africa. This is growing in impetus all over the world as resources become more scarce. The billions of people on the planet are realising that the onset of global warming was not just a conspiracy theory after all and that something needs to be done, quickly, to start remedying our current and ever growing impact.

The term Revolutionary has always seemed to me to be a word that implies movement? Why? It is a major and sudden impact on society or human endeavour according to Wikipedia. If you look at some of the famous revolutionaries in history (whether you agree or disagree with their principles and actions), none of them achieved the status of being a Revolutionary by doing nothing.

To name a few:

Spartacus : A slave leader who led a revolt against the Roman empire and in doing so became symbolic of revolutionary leaders fighting oppression.

William Wallace : (Who could forget Mel Gibson with war paint on?) Scottish rebel who led an uprising against the English during the Scottish wars of independence.

Joan of Arc : A revolutionary who inspired the French Dauphin to renew the fight again English Forces.

Mahatma Ghandi : Ghandi inspired non violent protests against the British.

 

But why am I going on about revolutionaries? Well, regardless if action was carried out peacefully or with force, the point is that there was action, movement, sudden impact. I had the opportunity to briefly discuss the ‘power play’ in Africa with one of our Project Researchers, Marlaine Andersen. She had some interesting points to make about her research in relation to the power (or lack thereof in some cases) in Africa:

“In terms of history – The African and SADC countries, like South Africa, have not made any provision for the expansion of their cities and town, the population growth and influx into the towns from the outlying areas, neither have they maintained the existing power grid infrastructure and as a result most countries in Africa have a huge power deficit, with load-shedding being a regular occurrence in many countries and many poor people having no access to power whatsoever. In recent years, many of the African and SADC countries have started making plan, raising funds etc. in a bid to generate more power through different sources, like hydro power, wind power, transmission lines, power stations, etc.”

Some of the more recent projects are:

Gas and Oil :

  • Construction of a 350MW gas-and oil-fired combined-cycle power plant in the municipality of Kpone, within the Tema industrial zone, in Ghana. Tema, Ghana’s major residential and industrial city, has the largest sea port in the country. It is about 24km from the international airport in the capital, Accra. Estimated project value : $900-million
  • Construction of a 50MW gas power plant in Rwanda in Central Africa.
  • NamPower (Pty) Ltd, the national electricity utility of Namibia, is developing the Kudu 800MW CCGT Power Station near Oranjemund in south-western Namibia. The combined cycle power station project will use natural gas from the Kudu Gas Field which is located 170km off-shore. Estimated Project Value: N$13.8 billion.
  • Namibian electricity utility, Nampower’s plans to build a new 300MW power station and waste oil recycling plant the heavy industrial zone of Arandis in Erongo, Namibia. The source of the coal to fire the power station has not yet been decided. Nampower would seek to identify all potential environmental, social and health impacts associated with the project, so as to manage these in accordance with international standards.

 

Electricity Highway :

  • Construction of an electricity highway between Ethiopia and Kenya, approximately 1068km of high-voltage, direct current 500kV transmission line and associated alternating current/direct current converter stations from Wolayta-Sodo, in Ethiopia to Suswa in Kenya, with a power transfer capacity of up to 2000MW. The total estimated project cost is $1.26 billion.

 

Hydro :

  • The 2067MW Lauca hydro-power station is being developed on the Kwanza river between the Cambambe and Capanda project in Angola. The project includes the development of a 132m high roller-compacted concrete dam, with a crest length of 1075m. The plant will comprise two units with six Francis turbines, each with an output of 340MW, and generators as well as additional equipment. The power station will supply power to about 750 000 people.
  • The project involves the construction of the 40MW Kabompo Gorge hydropower station to be located between the Solwezi and Mwinlunga districts at Kabompo Gorge on the Kabompo river in the north western region of Zambia. The development of the plant on the Kabompo river will help reduce the constant power outages occurring in the region. The power station will have an installed capacity of 1 600 MW and includes a 181-m-high roller-compacted concrete cavity arch dam, a radial-gated crest-type spillway and two underground power stations on the north and south banks of the river, each with four 200 MW vertical-shaft Francis turbine generators. The project is designed as a run-of-river scheme, with an estimated average energy generation of 8 700 GWh/y. Estimated project value : $120 million.

 

Coal :      

  • The construction of a 150MW to 300MW coal-fired power station(with potential to upgrade to 800MW) in the Erongo region of Namibia, known as the Erongo Coal-fired Power Station. The proposed project has a total estimated price tag of between R4-billion and R7-billion.

 

Action is always better than stagnation. Does Africa like South Africa has power issues? Of course! We, as a continent, are developing at a rate faster than anticipated (or planned – regardless of whose fault it may be). Life doesn’t tend to play by a set of guidelines. This continent is most certainly revolutionary. Sometimes the actions taken are not the ones we would specifically choose and sometimes to the detriment of her people, but the point is, there is also action being taken that is in a direction to build and improve. Take a look at these projects and see for yourself.

 

I suppose my question is really, “what am I doing to be part of this revolutionary continent?”

I leave you with the words of Martin Luther King Junior “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”. What is your next move?

About Carmen Barends

Social media adventurer for Leads 2 Business, exploring new frontiers and taking new ground. “Not all those who wander are lost.” JRR Tolkien