FOTOTHERM

Sasol plans to power its operations in the municipalities of Secunda and Sasolburg with two 10 MW solar projects. The successful bidders with sell power to the factories under power purchase agreements. South Africa-based chemicals producer Sasol has kicked off a  request for proposals (RFP)  process to seek independent power producers for two PV plants that will power its operations in Secunda, Mpumalanga province, and Sasolburg, Free State province. Interested independent power producers have until Oct. 2 to submit their proposals. “We are excited to launch the RFP, which forms part of our broader greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction aspiration and moves us forward on our journey to achieving our target of a 10% GHG emission reduction by 2030,” said the company’s chief sustainability officer, Hermann Wenhold. The winning IPPs will own and operate the plants. They will sell power to Sasol under long-term PPAs. In May, Sasol began to seek partners to potentially deploy rene...

As COVID-19 hits the fossil fuel industry, a new report shows that renewable energy is more cost-effective than ever – providing an opportunity to prioritize clean energy in economic recovery packages and bring the world closer to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. [...] “The chorus of voices calling on governments to use their COVID-19 recovery packages to create sustainable economies is growing,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “This research shows that renewable energy is one of the smartest, most cost-effective investments they can make in these packages.” Investing in renewables to fight adevrsities “If governments take advantage of the ever-falling price tag of renewables to put clean energy at the heart of COVID-19 economic recovery, they can take a big step towards a healthy natural world, which is the best insurance policy against global pandemics,” Andersen said. Renewable energy has been eating away at fossil fuels’ dominant shar...

[...] Winners in the smart Projects category  1-Phaesun GmbH (Germany):  “REvivED Water” – Solar Powered Desalination, Somaliland Headquartered in the German city of Memmingen, Phaesun specializes in off-grid photovoltaic technology. As part of the REvivED Water Innovation and Development Project, Phaesun has developed the first small-scale solar-powered electrodialysis desalination system on the market for purification of brackish water. It has achieved this by working with a group of interdisciplinary partners, ranging from architects to universities and startups. The system provides up to 2,000 liters of clean drinking water per day for isolated villagers and nomads in Somaliland. Electrodialysis uses a membrane technology: An electric current pulls salt ions through an ion exchange membrane, thereby significantly reducing the salt content. It is very well suited for providing a solar-powered drinking water supply, especially in remote areas. The jury admired...