Trailblazing wheeling solutions

March 2024 News

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has recently released a detailed guide on the integration of embedded generation and wheeling in municipal electricity billing systems. Notably featured in this guide is the fruitful collaboration between George Municipality and Open Access Energy, signifying a major progression in South Africa’s energy landscape. The guide, produced in collaboration with Sustainable Energy Africa, presents a comprehensive overview and valuable insights into this emerging sector.

According to the published guide, George Municipality faced substantial challenges with its existing metering data management system when it planned to introduce wheeling between municipal clients. The system struggled to process the detailed and frequent data required for sophisticated wheeling transactions, and limited the ability for municipal employees and wheelers to effectively allocate wheeled time-of-use (TOU) electricity.

Open Access Energy’s Amptera software emerged as the solution to these challenges. Amptera helped George Municipality to overcome the complexities of wheeling transactions. The software provides comprehensive AMR functionality, allowing for the reading of smart meters, storage of meter data, and access for both the municipality and bulk meter customers to this data. Amptera enables TOU reconciliation, data aggregation and evaluation. These are crucial for real-time billing information calculation in order to streamline energy management and billing processes.

Gerjo Hoffman, CEO of Open Access Energy, said: “Amptera has revolutionised the wheeling process by enabling access to billable smart meter data in real time, thus allowing wheelers to accurately allocate energy without the risk of overallocation and potential losses. Furthermore, it ensures that allocations are credited to the customer’s account immediately in the month of wheeling, significantly mitigating any credit risk to the wheeler. This is a game-changer in the energy sector, providing a reliable and efficient solution for contemporary energy distribution challenges.”

Established in 2021, Open Access Energy is South Africa’s first multilateral wheeling software platform. Alongside Amptera, they offer EnergyPro – a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution aimed at independent power producers (IPPs) and energy traders, assisting wheelers in distributing energy to multiple customers.

This initiative by George Municipality and Open Access Energy exemplifies a significant step forward in South Africa’s journey towards more adaptable and efficient energy distribution, demonstrating the potential of innovative technology in addressing complex challenges in the energy sector.

Further reading:

Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.

Read more...

---

Festo 100th Anniversary: Celebrating a century-long legacy of innovation and commitment
News
Festo has officially begun celebrating 100 years of groundbreaking technology, commitment and enduring partnerships. To kick off this historic milestone celebration, their Customer Innovation Day and ThankYou Party series brought together customers, partners and employees to reflect on their journey and look ahead to an

Read more...

---

Bearings International fosters dynamic customer partnerships
News
Bearings International has consistently set the benchmarks in innovation and excellence as a leading distributor of bearings, power transmission and interconnected mechanical consumables that sustainably facilitate and optimise operations for mining and industrial customers across Southern Africa.

Read more...

---

Innomotics and Danfoss Drives strengthen partnership to deliver comprehensive motor and drive solutions
News
Innomotics and Danfoss Drives have announced the next phase of their strategic, non-exclusive partnership. This collaboration is designed to meet the growing demand for comprehensive motor and drive solutions, ensuring customers receive high-quality, efficient and compatible products

Read more...

---

Africa’s industrial revolution accelerates
News
As Africa undergoes a rapid industrial transformation, AATF Connect 2025 emerges as the premier platform to showcase innovation, drive collaboration, and spark discussions that will shape the continent’s industrial future.

Read more...

---

From the editor's desk: A good servant and a bad master
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) News
In our new AI-generated world it was inevitable that the Nobel Committee would have noticed. And last November two pioneers of artificial intelligence, John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton, won the Nobel Prize ...

Read more...

---

Festo 100th Anniversary: Celebrating a century-long legacy of innovation and commitment
Festo South Africa News
Festo has officially begun celebrating 100 years of groundbreaking technology, commitment and enduring partnerships. To kick off this historic milestone celebration, their Customer Innovation Day and ThankYou Party series brought together customers, partners and employees to reflect on their journey and look ahead to an exciting future.

Read more...

---

German Chancellor visits Beckhoff at Hannover Messe
Beckhoff Automation News
As part of the traditional Hannover Messe opening tour, Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz visited German company, Beckhoff Automation. Hans Beckhoff, managing director and owner of Beckhoff Automation, presented his company and its comprehensive expertise in the field of software and AI.

Read more...

---

Iritron celebrates 25 years of excellence
Iritron News
When Iritron, a leading provider of engineering and industrial solutions was founded in 2000, it was on the principles of exceptional service and lasting part-nerships. Today, Iritron has grown from a small team of four into a company of over 120 employees, serving clients across South Africa and beyond.

Read more...

---

A racing partnership
SKF South Africa News
In one of motorsport’s most demanding arenas, a partnership forged in engineering precision and high-performance ambition has proven its worth. SKF, a global leader in bearing technology and innovation, celebrated a remarkable milestone in partnership with SVR Toyota GAZOO Racing, taking second position overall at the 2025 Dakar Rally.

Read more...

---