SA needs to intensify the deployment of smart grids to be ready for 4IR
THE DEPARTMENT of Energy yesterday warned that South Africa had reached a point where it needed to intensify the deployment of smart grids to be ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Chief director of clean energy Mokgadi Modise told the South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), in a speech delivered on behalf of Energy Minister Jeff Radebe, that the deployment of the grids would move the energy industry into a new era of reliability, availability and
MOKGADI Modise, chief director of clean energy at the Department of Energy, wants the energy industry to move into a new era. |
efficiency that would contribute to the country’s economic and environmental health.
“It is necessary that we often have these kind of discussions, especially in light of the energy needs that affects us in one way or the other, be it in our homes, work environment, industrial operations, and public spaces,” said
Modise.
She added that it was important for the country to allow production to happen in a greener, cleaner and sustainable environmentally friendly manner.
“Industry, transport and the building sectors all cut across the mining sector and will need to use more of renewable energy, coupled with energy efficiency,” Modise said. “For instance, among others, some areas of the mining operations have infrastructure such as building and street lighting 24/7, while operated waste water treatment plants use a lot of fuel in the fleets.
“For such a high energy demand, industry must reduce consumption and produce more with less, and reducing the high carbon content of certain products and high emission processes will certainly require innovative and novel solutions and life-cycle thinking in an integrated approach.”
The Sanedi event, which is being held alongside the Investing in Mining Indaba in Cape Town, said the industry was positioning itself to ensure that it benefited from integrated initiatives through the Energy Efficiency Incentive Scheme.
“It is critical that we connect the dots and optimise on the synergies presented when working together with local government, especially municipalities. With the Fourth Industrial Revolution advancing faster, we too need to move with speed to intensify the deployment of smart grids,” Modise said. “The Smart Grid represents an unprecedented opportunity to move the energy industry into a new era of reliability and efficiency that will contribute to our economic and environmental health.”
Modise said it would be critical to carry out testing, technology improvements, consumer education, development of standards and regulations and information sharing between projects to ensure that the benefits the country envisions from the Smart Grid become a reality.