Evan Dent, business development manager, Endress+Hauser
Energy has become a key area of attention in recent years. South Africa in particular has a larger than average problem as a result of the capacity shortages it faces in the short term. With a predicted requirement for 3000 MW of savings required by 2012, one method of addressing the problem is the setting of energy efficiency targets in the private, commercial and industrial sectors. Unfortunately this is easier said than done, as the success or failure of energy targeting initiatives depends on human behaviour. A change in human behaviour can achieve savings of up to 30%, but these are often short lived as old bad habits return once awareness of the initiative fades.
Most early energy savings strategies involved the obvious ie, lights, geysers and other such household consumers. These are small savings when compared to energy used in industrial preciseness. One of the initiatives that can be pursued is improving the efficiency of the utilities at industrial plants. This has the potential to make large savings in processes energy consumption. It is key to process efficiency, since most utilities over-supply when compared to the demands of the process. Operational efficiency has the potential to save as much as 40% of the energy consumed in the section of the plant that is targeted. This is indeed attractive.
When streamlining utilities, the focus should be on the production of compressed air and steam, fuel consumption and also the movement of water in the process. These are all generally large energy users in a typical industrial process. Initiatives such as leak detection, pressure monitoring and filter blockage are often put into place. The human problem rears its head as time goes by, and the success of the initiative is reduced as the team falls back into old habits. So how do we make these into sustainable initiatives? To achieve this we have to look at energy management as a continuous cycle.
Power supply with scalability optimised Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric has introduced the Easy UPS 3-Phase Modular to the South African marketplace. This robust uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is designed to protect critical loads while offering third-party verified Live Swap functionality.
Read more...Prioritising arc flash safety Comtest
Electrical Power & Protection
Comtest has developed a range of thermal imaging and wireless testing tools from Fluke, designed to ensure safety is the top priority for engineers working in potentially dangerous arc flash zones.
Read more...Monitoring the voltage drop in cables Turck Banner Southern Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
With its new M12Plus connectors, Turck Banner is directly shifting the condition monitoring of cables subject to severe stress to the connection technology. The connectors, which come with voltage and current monitoring and a Bluetooth chip, enable measured voltage and current values to be sent wirelessly to a controller.
Read more...Mesh networks: a multidirectional electrical superhighway Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Today, many power industry stakeholders are faced with mounting requirements for improved grid reliability, resilience and distribution efficiency. It’s a challenge which requires power service providers to rethink their infrastructure. Enter mesh networks, which can overcome the limitations of traditional star networks.
Read more...Versatile flexible copper busbar
Electrical Power & Protection
Referro Systems specialises in the supply and support of industrial electrical, automation and global software and hardware brands, and is now able to offer the Cubic range of Cu-Flex flexible copper busbars.
Read more...Trafo Power Solutions upgrades DRC mine transformers
Electrical Power & Protection
With its experience in Africa and its agility in executing projects rapidly, Trafo Power Solutions is supplying three mini-substations and two transformers to a copper-zinc mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Read more...Acquiring locally-manufactured transformers ACTOM Electrical Machines
Electrical Power & Protection
Speed and efficiency are of the essence in the fast-evolving power generation and distribution space; but a significant challenge is the prolonged lead times associated with acquiring transformers – key components in any electrical infrastructure.
Read more...Seaward testers power PV specialists Comtest
Electrical Power & Protection
One of Asia’s leading clean energy specialists, Solarvest, uses the latest electrical safety test equipment to ensure the solar photovoltaic (PV) installations it services and maintains operate at peak performance levels.
Read more...Multi-purpose contact block
Electrical Power & Protection
The TME catalogue has been expanded to include products from Schlegel. This German, family-owned company has been specialising in the production of high-quality electromechanical components for almost 80 years.
Read more...ACTOM supplies transformer units to Kamoa Copper Mine ACTOM Electrical Machines
Electrical Power & Protection
ACTOM Distribution Transformers, recently secured an order for the supply of its neutral electromagnetic couplers, with earthing resistors, and an auxiliary transformer) to Kamoa Copper Mine in the DRC.
printer friendly version