Cape Town: South Africa’s energy utility Eskom awarded its National Power Grid Intelligence Tender to Actom Smart Technology (Pty) LTD, who will be deploying Stellenbosch based CT LAB (Pty) LTD technology to deliver a world first in power grid technology.

The agreement will see Eskom install over 1,300 of CT LAB’s OTELLO edge computing devices into the power grid countrywide to upgrade grid monitoring and management capabilities in four provinces.

Once completed, CT LAB’s state-of-the-art OTELLO devices will join 3,600 of CT LAB’s existing power quality monitoring devices, to create the first integrated smart grid monitoring and intelligence platform that delivers real-time, grid-wide visibility to grid engineers and managers. The OTELLO system is the only intelligent grid monitoring and control solution on the market to install processing power throughout the power grid, preparing the way for Eskom to transition to a distributed smart grid management paradigm.

“OTELLO was developed to address the unique needs of the African power grid,” said Willie van Wyk, CEO of CT Lab and lead engineer on the OTELLO platform. “The challenges of delivering continuous, high quality power to the continent requires an innovative approach to monitoring. OTELLO focuses on bringing visibility to the edge of the network through the power of edge computing and broadband connectivity. We are honoured to be awarded this tender and excited to play a role in upgrading South Africa’s power network.”

“When assessing the proposals put forward within this tender, CT Lab’s innovative approach, cost-effective devices and comprehensive offering stood apart, even from some steep international competition. We look forward to enhancing the delivery of services to our communities with CT Lab,” said Thabeka Sonelu, chairperson of Eskom’s tender committee.

The first phase of the project will see 300 devices installed from Ezulwini Hydroelectric Dam to substations across the greater Gauteng area. 

About CT Lab
Established in 1993 in Stellenbosch, CT LAB has focused on delivering power engineering solutions aimed at solving Africa’s power quality and continuity needs. Now expanding into the EU, Canada and Australia, CT LAB’s flagship OTELLO platforms is unique in delivering smart processing power throughout the grid, and has the potential to play a significant role in responsibly integrating renewable power resources into grids the world over. 

Ethiopia’s former State Minister in the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Mr Wondimu Tekle Sigo, Ghana Grid Co, Lilongwe Water Board and several renewable energy generation projects were amongst the winners at the annual African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards that returned to Cape Town last week, honouring the leading utilities, projects and people in the energy and water industries on the continent.

Their achievements during 2018/2019 were celebrated during the prestigious gala dinner on Wednesday 15 May, and formed part of the African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa conference and exhibition in Cape Town. The winners and finalists in the respective categories for the African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards 2019 are: • Lifetime Achievement Award WINNER: Wondimu Tekle Sigo, Former State Minister, Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Ethiopia Mr Sigo said he was “grateful for being chosen”.

According to the former minister he was fortunate to have been involved in many interesting projects in his career, in both water and energy: “especially the 6000MW hydropower Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is under construction, on the Blue Nile. This project has already reached almost 60 percent, so this will help Ethiopia as well as the neighbouring countries through integration.

This was one of the big projects that I was leading when I was at the ministry. This award is not just for me, but also for all the colleagues who have worked on so many projects with me, from the time when I was a site manager until I became a minister, and the team work we achieved.” For seven years, Wondimu Tekle Sigo served as Ethiopia’s Minister of State for the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy.

He is well respected for the design and construction of various infrastructure projects, including the expansion of a rural electrification programme for more than 6000 towns and villages in the region. Furthermore, he tackled water shortages by increasing the water supply of the city around the Dire water reservoir dam from 240,000m³ to 400 000 m³ per day.

Amongst his many achievements, Sigo upgraded eight cities’ electric distribution systems including that of Addis Ababa. ESI Africa included Sigo in their 60 most influential figures in the power sector from East and West Africa. Now as a PhD candidate for Economics at the Peking University in China, Sigo has been conducting research since 2017 around achieving Ethiopia’s economic growth and development.

The other finalists were (in no particular order): - Abderrahim Jamrani, Technical Director, Masen - Wim Jonker Klunne, Programme Director, Energy and Environment Partnership, Southern and East Africa (EEP) - Dale Robertson, President, Enerscan Engineering • Outstanding Contribution Award: Power WINNER: Jasandra Nyker, Chief Executive Officer, BioTherm Energy, South Africa “I am very proud of this achievement” an elated Ms Nyker said on Wednesday evening, “it has been eight years since we started building biotherm energy into a renewable energy investment and development platform.

I dedicate this award to my team because it is very much a team effort. We’ve built an amazing business and we have expanded into the rest of Africa. For us this is just a great achievement.” Ms Nyker is the Chief Executive Officer of BioTherm Energy, who led the business to grow from 4 MW in PPAs to over 450 MWs of secured PPAs.

BioTherm has expanded its development activities to build a pan African business by winning projects in Zambia, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Iviore and Ghana, and has also won large scale projects with some of the leading global mining companies. She has previously managed the direct investment portfolio on behalf of the PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund as well as Booz Allen Hamilton in London.

Ms. Nyker holds an MBA from the London Business School, where she was a Merrill Lynch Scholar, and a Business Science degree in Finance from the University of Cape Town. She was nominated as a 2012 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was part of the Inaugural Global Agenda Council on New Energy Architecture for the World Economic Forum. The other finalists were: - Ricardo Amansure, Community Operations Manager, Umoya - Jonathan Amoako-Baah, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) - Joel Nana Kontchou, Chief Executive Officer, Eneo Cameroon SA • Outstanding Contribution Award: Water WINNER: Prof. Andras Szöllösi-Nagy, President of the Governing Board of the Sustainable, Development Studies Institute National University of Public Service, Hungary Unable to be in Cape Town this week, a pre-recorded acceptance speech on video by Prof Szöllösi-Nagy was played to the hundreds of high-level power and water professionals who had gathered at the gala dinner to honour him. “Africa needs capacity in water resources,” he said, “although rich in water, it will have major problems to make water use sustainable for generations to come, particularly in the light of climate change. Perhaps there is no other continent that will be so deeply impacted by climate variability and change because as the hydrological cycle is accelerating the probability of having extreme flaws, either floods or drought, will likely increase. And it is now that we have to work together with politicians and policy makers to find out what the appropriate measures are to deal with this danger.” Andras was instrumental in implementing the establishment of several UNESCO Water Centers across Africa. These centers play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable water management in Africa as well as contributing to capacity development and training activities. They also play a pivotal role in implementing IHP.

There are six African UNESCO water centers established to date, including the Regional Center for Training and Water Studies of Arid and Semi-Arid Zones (RCTWS) in Egypt. The Regional Centre for Shared Aquifer Resources Management (RCSARM) in Libya. The Regional Centre on Groundwater Resources Education, Training and Research in East Africa (RCGRE)in Kenya.

The Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management (RC-IRBM) located in Nigeria. The Regional Centre on Capacity Development and Research in Water Harvesting (RCWH) in Sudan and the African Regional Centre for Eco hydrology in Ethiopia. Prof. Szöllösi-Nagy was appointed by the Director General of UNESCO to serve as Rector of the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. The Institute was an integral part of UNESCO Category 1 Institute. During his tenure he has reformed the Institute where approximately 40% of the graduate students were from Africa. In that period Africa was a priority of both the research and capacity development activities of the Institute.

The African alumni are in lead positions today all over Africa serving various water related organizations. The other finalists were: - Andre Kruger, Head Africa Investment and Integration Desk (AVID), Nepad Business Foundation - Alfonso Chikuni, Chief Executive Officer, Lilongwe Water Board Damas - Alfred Mashauri, Professor: Civil Engineering, University of Namibia: Engineering & IT • Outstanding Contribution Award: Young Leader WINNER: Astria Fataki, Energy Generation, Founder and President After receiving the award a very excited Astria said that: “about ten years ago I fell in love with the energy sector because I realised that energy was a very strong factor and tool for development. But as I was implementing projects I came across a lot of human resources challenges, so I started wondering how we can contribute to the electrification of the continent but with local resources, both technical and human resources. So that is how the idea came to first develop the human capital to provide solutions to the challenge of access to energy and also innovative technology that is tailored for Africa.”

Astria Fataki, who is originally from Togo, is an entrepreneur passionate about project development in Africa. Astria truly believes that energy is at the center of socio-economic development, and fully dedicates herself to tackle this challenge both at the micro and the macro level in Africa. At a macro level, she coordinated, from 2013 to 2015, the contractual and legal construction of two Public-Private Partnership projects for the construction and operation of photovoltaic solar power plants in Mali (40MW) and Chad (60MW).

At the micro level, in 2016, she founded the pan-African organisation Energy Generation, with the objective to develop young Africans’ entrepreneurial initiatives in the energy sector.

Astria holds a Master’s degree in International Public Management from Sciences Po Paris. The other finalists were: - Lois Gicheru, Solafrique, Founder and CEO - Boitumelo Sehlake, Sehlake Energy Solutions, Founder - Pule Segale, Rina Consulting Ltd, Civil Engineer (Site Manager) • Power Service Provider of the Year WINNER: Ghana Grid Company Ltd, Ghana Daniel Mathe is a Divisional Director at GRIDCo and accepted the award on behalf of the organisation: “the award means a lot and means that the good work we are doing has been seen and recognised in Africa and we are working very hard to support other countries within Africa. This year we have been able to supply power to Burkina Faso, our neighbours, so it means that the efforts that we are putting in, are being seen in the industry. We want to do even better. We also supply power to Togo and Benin and are doing a lot as far as the West Africa Power Pool is concerned.”

GRIDCo operates the Ghana Wholesale Electricity Market and provides electricity transmission services and in Ghana and West African. Since its inception GRIDCo has continuously ensured reliable supply of affordable electricity to households by continuously upgrading and extending the grid and the introduction of modern systems in compliance with IEC 61850. As a result, access to electricity in Ghana has increased from 66.7% (2009) to 82.5% (2016).The increase in electricity access has resulted in increased income, improve trade balance, provided local solutions, contributed to industrial development and creation of new job opportunities. In West Africa GRIDCo has established inter and intra connections with other West African countries to the North, East and West of its boundaries, as part of the West African Power Pool System and has positioned Ghana as a Net-Exporter within the Sub-region. For instance, GRIDCo currently supplies about a third of the Electricity required for Burkina through its Transmission System.

These power exports have brought socio-economic benefits and continues to enhanced energy supply security. Additionally, over the last four (4) years GRIDCo has commercialized its telecommunication assets and now provides the most reliable form of fiber communication for telecommunication services and IT support systems nationwide.

The other finalists were: - Umeme Limited - Abuja Electricity Distribution Company - Energy Utility Corporation Limited – EUCL • Water Service Provider of the Year WINNER: Lilongwe Water Board, Malawi The company’s Corporate Planning Manager, Gustav Sikasima, responded as follows after the announcement: “this award means a lot, it means we have been making strides towards the social impact of the people of Lilongwe City and the efforts we have been making to make sure that the City has potable water.” Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) is a statutory organization created in 1947 by the government of Malawi and mandated by the Water Works Act (Cap 72) to supply water to the residents of Lilongwe.

There are about 83,000 metered customers and more than 1000 water Kiosks (communal water selling points) within the City. The total pipe network for LWB is estimated at 1,900 Km.The Board abstracts raw water from Lilongwe River which originates from Dzalanyama Ranges. The Kamuzu Dam I and Kamuzu Dam II upstream of the intake works act as storage for the dry season during which the flow from Lilongwe River cannot sustain production. These two dams collectively were designed to provide a total storage volume of 24.3 million cubic meters. However, due to sedimentation and the continuous severe drought faced by the country for a decade, this capacity is reducing on an annual basis at a rate of approximately 66,760m3 per year for the past five years. The company has two main Treatment Plants, TW I and TW II which are situated within the Water Works Campus.

The combined capacity of the two plants is 125,000 cubic meters per day. The other finalists were: - Hessequa Municipality - Umgeni Water - Ontec Systems (Pty) Ltd • Grid-Tied Renewable Energy Project (10MW +) WINNER: Kathu Solar Thermal Power Plant, South Africa “What is very unique about this type of project is firstly the clean technology" Siyabonga Mbanjwa, Regional Managing Director Southern Africa for SENER, one of the construction partners in Kathu said on Wednesday evening, "and also that it offers production during peak periods: so we are using molten salts as a storage mechanism and that allows us to continue to produce electricity, even when the sun has set. But what is also very exciting about Kathu Solar Park is the manner in which we have worked with the community, we have kept very, very close ties with the community.”

Kathu Solar Park is a 100MW concentrated solar power (CSP) project located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Construction on the project commenced in May 2016. The solar power park achieved commercial operation in January 2019 and has an operational life of 30 years. Kathu solar project is part of South Africa’s Integrated Resource Program (IRP) 2010, which aims to increase the country’s power generation capacity to 86.8GW by 2030. It is a parabolic trough plant consisting of a number of solar collector assemblies, including parabolic reflectors (curved mirror), a tracking system, a support structure, and a receiver tube.

The storage system reduces the effects of irregular sunlight and enables the plant to produce electricity even during low levels of sunlight. It is also installed with 57 three-phase, cast resin-type transformers rated at 1,500kVA. It will also create 500 jobs during the construction phase and 81 permanent jobs during the operational phase.

The project is expected to drive the economic revival of the Northern Cape Province and was constructed as an EPC project by SENER and ACCIONA. The other finalists were: - Greenmillenia - Jinko Solar • Small-Scale Sustainable Energy Project (under 5MW) WINNER: Rubagabaga Hydropower Limited, Rwanda Dan Klinck, MD of East Africa Power/Rubagabaga Hydro Power Limited said after receiving the award: “We’re very pleased with the award, this is very prestigious, and we are thrilled that Rubagabaga came to fruition. It’s been a lot of hard work, we’ve had 1500 workers on this project, so this award is really for everybody who participated.” He added: “what’s unique about this project is that it is a public-private-community partnership. It is one thing to build a project that just hooks up the line and adds it to the utility.

For us we really focused in on what it would do to the community and its productive use equipment, its industrial park, its community library, its agricultural centre of excellence – it wasn’t just power to line up the grid, it was something that really could bring the community together and make a difference and we’re very happy about that.” Rubagabaga Hydropower Project is a 445 kW grid-connected, run-of-the-river project located in the Northern Province of Rwanda.

It has made a very large impact on the local and regional communities by bringing renewable energy, jobs, and improved livelihood to thousands of households. The project is the first hydropower project to implement a containerised turbine and generator in East Africa. Built almost entirely using simple man-power with little mechanical intervention, this project gives credit to the innovative and resourceful nature of the Rwandan people In addition to the 455 kW delivered to the national grid, this project has created more than 1000 jobs over the span of its life thus far.

The ongoing introduction of energy linked directly to innovative, locally-initiated industries creates a dynamic and diverse economy and a sustainably healthy community with the power to impact Rwanda on a national scale. It is the developer’s policy to establish such community-serving projects wherever a successful hydropower plant has been developed. The other finalists were: - BBOX - Ecomandate Foundation - African Sustainable Energies - Eaton Electric South Africa Industry support The sponsors of the African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards 2019 were Eaton, Aberdare Cables, SBS Tanks, Mazars, Standard Bank, ESI Africa, Smart Energy International and Clarion Energy.

African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is the flagship energy event organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the energy, infrastructure, mining, real estate and agriculture sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria, the Utility CEO Forums, Agritech Expo Zambia, Nigeria Mining Week and DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group and African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa form part of Clarion Energy, which runs over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, making it one of Clarion Events’ largest portfolios.

Website: http://www.african-utility-week.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities #AUW2019 #PGAF2019 Linkedin: African Utility Week

Contact:
Senior communications manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone: +27 21 700 3558
Mobile: +27 82 562 7844
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Energy Minister Jeff Radebe to present event keynote address again in May

The organisers of the African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa conference and exhibition, taking place in Cape Town from 14-16 May 2019, have announced a four-year partnership with the South African Ministry of Energy.  The South African Minister of Energy, Honourable Jeff Radebe, is heading up a stellar line up of expert speakers and will once again deliver the opening ministerial address at the event on 14 May.

“Since his appointment, Minister Radebe has shown visionary and passionate leadership in terms of energy security, something that resonates greatly with our African power community” says African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa event director Evan Schiff, “and we look forward to welcome him back to the event to hear his message.”

He adds: “the potential of renewable energy sources such as solar, storage solutions and mini-grid generation projects are just some of the exciting focus areas at this year’s African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa and we expect more than 10 000 energy and water professionals from across Africa and the world to gather in the Mother City. Renewing our previous successful four-year partnership with the Energy Ministry allows us to further entrench South Africa’s leading role on the continent and within the international power community.”

“African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa never disappoints with compelling content, inspiring speakers and the latest technology offerings” says the Department of Energy, adding that it looks forward to “another fruitful four-year partnership and taking valuable strides in our vision for a sustainable approach to South Africa’s energy deficit.”

African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is the flagship energy event organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the energy, infrastructure, mining and agriculture sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria, the Utility CEO Forums, Agritech Expo Zambia, Nigeria Mining Week and DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group and African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa form part of Clarion Energy, which runs over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, making it one of Clarion Events’ largest portfolios.

Dates for African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa:
Conference and expo: 14-16 May 2019
Site visits: 17 May 2019
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Website: http://www.african-utility-week.com  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities    #AUW2019   
Linkedin: African Utility Week

Contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

After their first appearance in 2018, IBC SOLAR will be present again in 2019 with their own stand at the Solar Show Africa from 26 – 27th March in the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

IBC SOLAR opened its doors in Cape Town in 2017 providing the Sub-Saharan side of the continent with their solar products and systems. “Africa is an attractive solar market with rapid growth and high demand for self-consumption systems with energy storage solutions” says Daniel Haitzler, the Managing Director of the subsidiary in Cape Town. “Our business activities focus on commercial and residential systems up to 5 MW. We provide EPC companies and installers not only with solar products but solutions having our own design software PV Manager for instance” he refers.

Since the end of last year, IBC SOLAR also carries Victron products in the portfolio. Alex Joist, Business Development Manager adds: “This complements the SMA inverter portfolio and the company’s position as “The Expert for storage and off-grid solutions”. The flexible combination of IBC and GCL modules with our inverter portfolio, the handy IBC mounting and the BMZ storage solutions makes it possible to provide our clients with bespoke PV systems for their applications.

”Get Empowered by the Sun and visit IBC SOLAR at the Sandton Convention Centre, Level 2, Stand B15. 

About IBC SOLAR
IBC SOLAR is a leading global provider of photovoltaic and energy storage solutions and services. The company offers complete systems and covers the entire product range from planning to the turnkey handover of photovoltaic systems. The product range comprises solar parks, self-consumption systems for commercial enterprises and private households, off-grid photovoltaic systems and diesel hybrid solutions. As a project developer and general contractor, IBC SOLAR implements and markets major solar projects worldwide. The manufacturer-independent system house guarantees the highest quality for all projects and has currently implemented photovoltaic systems with an output of over 3 gigawatts worldwide. IBC SOLAR works with a close network of Premium Partners and supports them with their own software tools for planning and designing grid-connected systems including storage systems. IBC SOLAR offers customised packages for energy providers, municipal utilities and providers of photovoltaic solutions. The company ensure the best possible output of solar parks through technical management and monitoring.

IBC SOLAR was founded by Udo Möhrstedt in Bad Staffelstein in 1982 who has managed the company as the Chairman of the Executive Board to date. The system house is a pioneer of the energy turnaround in Germany and is especially committed to energy cooperatives with its own planned public solar parks. The company is active internationally with numerous regional companies, sales offices and partner companies in more than 30 countries.

Family owned since 1982 and being in the solar industry for over 35 years, the IBC SOLAR's internationalization strategy reached the African continent. The Company Group has opened its doors for over one year now in South Africa providing the Sub-Saharan side of the continent with their solar products and system.

“Africa is an attractive solar market with rapid growth and high demand for solutions for its own power supply” says Daniel Haitzler, the Corporate General Manager of the subsidiary in Cape Town. “Our business activities focus on commercial and residential systems up to 5MW. We provide EPC companies and installers not only with solar products but solutions providing our own design software PV Manager for instance” he refers.

As newest addition to their product portfolio, IBC SOLAR proudly launches the new GCL-P6/72H Cells Module Range for the market at this year’s African Solar Show. With a maximum power output of 335W and a maximum module efficiency of 17.3 %, the panel is among the top performers in the industry and an ideal choice for large scale installations.

IBC SOLAR only works with the best! - GCL Group, together with GE and Panasonic New Energy, are the top three companies of the list of "2017 World’s Top 500 New Energy Enterprises", as well as the only Chinese enterprise on the Top Ten list. After 27 years of development, the GCL group has become one of the world's largest developer and manufacturer of photovoltaic materials, new energy operator and integrated energy services provider.

Visit IBC SOLAR at the Sandton Convention Centre, Level 2, Booth A42.

“Take-Care packages” support Premium Partners worldwide with the marketing of storage solutions 

Bad Staffelstein / Germany, July 13th, 2017 – IBC SOLAR AG, a global leader in photovoltaic (PV) systems and energy storage, supports its international Premium Partners with new service packages for lithium-ion storage systems. Installers in more than 30 countries are tapping into new business segments with the “Take-Care packages”. 

“We are an experienced partner with more than 7,000 installed storage systems of all sizes worldwide. Our international customers often express the wish to be supported when initially installing a lithium-ion storage system,” explains Albert Engelbrecht, Director Solutions International at IBC SOLAR. The company is now accommodating this request with the new service packages.

“The “Take-Care packages” help our partners with the planning, installation and maintenance of storage solutions and offer them important added value. The packages make it possible for our partners to implement the systems quickly and reliably and also ensure satisfied customers,” adds Engelbrecht. The customer decides which “Take-Care package” is the right one. Three versions are available “Essential”, “Empowering” and “Ensuring”.

The “Essential” basic package is also the basis for the two other packages. It includes an extensive pre-consultation session with technical pre-selection and sizing of the storage system. Fundamental questions about the application and expectations of the system will be resolved. It is important here to determine whether only the self-consumption needs to be increased or whether the storage system should also provide an emergency power supply.  The “Empowering” package involves IBC SOLAR also providing support with an extensive system design, circuit diagrams and parts lists as well as telephone support to help put the system into operation.

The “Ensuring” premium package also includes on-site support with a handover report and an optional workshop for service and maintenance work. IBC SOLAR has been active in the photovoltaic and battery storage sector for more than 35 years. The international partners will benefit from the company's years of experience in the storage segment with the new “Take-Care packages”. 

About IBC SOLAR
IBC SOLAR is a leading global provider of photovoltaic and energy storage solutions and services. The company offers complete systems and covers the entire product range from planning to the turnkey handover of photovoltaic systems. The product range comprises solar parks, self-consumption systems for commercial enterprises and private households, off-grid photovoltaic systems and diesel hybrid solutions.

As a project developer and general contractor, IBC SOLAR implements and markets major solar projects worldwide. The manufacturer-independent system house guarantees the highest quality for all projects and has currently implemented photovoltaic systems with an output of over 3 gigawatts worldwide. IBC SOLAR works with a close network of Premium Partners and supports them with their own software tools for planning and designing grid-connected systems including storage systems. IBC SOLAR offers customised packages for energy providers, municipal utilities and providers of photovoltaic solutions.

The company ensure the best possible output of solar parks through technical management and monitoring. IBC SOLAR was founded by Udo Möhrstedt in Bad Staffelstein in 1982 who has managed the company as the Chairman of the Executive Board to date. The system house is a pioneer of the energy turnaround in Germany and is especially committed to energy cooperatives with its own planned public solar parks. The company is represented internationally with numerous regional companies, sales offices and partner companies in more than 30 countries.

Nominations are open for top industry professionals and projects  

“I know the energy revolution is powering up and ready to take off. We should embrace energy trade with each other”.  With these words Mr Kandeh Yumkella, UN Under-Secretary-General and Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and CEO, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s African Utility Week Industry Awards.

The fourth edition of the annual African Utility Week Industry Awards will once again honour pioneering utilities, projects and people in the energy and water industry on the continent on Wednesday, 17 May, during African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa at the CTICC in Cape Town. Award categories vary from the Power and Water Utility of the Year Awards, Young Energy Leader Award and Outstanding Woman of the Year: Power/Water and include exciting new categories to reflect the latest developments and evolution of the energy and water sectors.  The new categories include:
•   Small-Scale Sustainable Energy Project (under 5MW)
•   Innovative Technology of the Year
•   Deal of the Year
•   ICT Excellence Award
•   Gas-to-Power Project of the Year

Benchmark of excellence
These prestigious industry awards will be presented during a gala dinner welcoming 800 of Africa’s most distinguished power and water industry professionals to recognise those that represent a benchmark of excellence for the industry. Entries for nominations for the awards close on 17 March and the public is invited to nominate themselves or colleagues and projects that have made outstanding contributions to the energy and water sectors.

Johannesburg’s City Power, George Airport and Akon Lighting Africa were also amongst the exciting and pioneering power and water professionals, utilities and projects that were winners at last year’s sold-out awards gala evening, while Uganda’s NWSC won the coveted Water Utility of the Year Award for the third  year in a row.

2017 Award Categories:
Individual Awards:  

Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual for prolonged and consistent achievements who has made a significant contribution to the development and future of the energy/water industries during his or her career.   The nominee can be from a utility, public or private company and should be someone who has helped to achieve strategic advancement of the sectors by proactively sharing knowledge, encouraging the adoption of new technologies or establishing exemplary financial governance practices. This individual is well recognised across the globe for their influence and insight to the energy or water sectors in Africa.  

Outstanding Contribution Award: Power
This award celebrates the accomplishments of an individual in a senior position from a utility, public or private company who has displayed passion and commitment to the power industry, while also demonstrating leadership, vision and success.  

Outstanding Contribution Award: Water This award celebrates the accomplishments of an individual in a senior position from a utility, public or private company who has displayed passion and commitment to the water industry while also demonstrating leadership, vision and success.  

Outstanding Woman of the Year: Power/Water     
This award celebrates a woman in the power/water industries for outstanding achievements who has made a contribution to and impact on the sector, whether from a utility, public or private company.      

Young Energy Leader Award
This award recognises a person under the age of 35 from a public or private company who has made an outstanding contribution to the energy/water sectors. This young professional has had commendable career achievements to date and is already playing a leading role in their sector.  

Organisational / Project Awards:  

Power Utility of the Year
This award recognises a power utility in Africa that has excelled in any one or more of the following fields: Service delivery, project roll-out, technology roll-out, revenue protection measures, loss reduction, grid integration and new energy sources, including company contribution to sector growth, demonstrated expenditure reduction, increased capacity to deliver services and revenue collection, completion of infrastructure development or sustainable maintenance projects.  

Water Utility of the Year
This award recognises a water utility in Africa that excels in any one or more of the following: Service delivery, project roll-out, technology roll-out, revenue protection measures, loss reduction, water quality and sanitation solutions, including company contribution to sector growth, demonstrated expenditure reduction, increased capacity to deliver services and revenue collection, completion of infrastructure development or sustainable maintenance projects.  

Large Scale Renewable Energy Project (10MW +)
This award is for a project completed by an African utility, off-grid producer, IPP, government or investor.  

Small-Scale Sustainable Energy Project (under 5MW) – NEW CATEGORY

This award is for a connected sustainable energy project providing electricity for either a commercial or rural electrification setting.  

Innovative Technology of the Year – NEW CATEGORY This award will acknowledge a business that has achieved commercial success from energy-focused advanced technology, research or developing products, services, or solutions relevant to the energy sector.  

Deal of the Year – NEW CATEGORY
This category will recognise an outstanding energy deal which reached financial closure between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016.  

ICT Excellence Award – NEW CATEGORY
The ICT Excellence Award provides a platform to recognise utilities from across Africa that have utilised ICT technology to improve the lives of all its customers as well as the citizens of the country. The award aims to promote successful deployment and application of innovative ICT solutions and services that have contributed improvements in service delivery and utility efficiency.  

Gas-to-Power Project of the Year – NEW CATEGORY
The gas-to-power project of the year award launches in 2017 to recognise those companies who are not only pioneers in the gas to power space but also those who, through innovation and creativity, have contributed to the commercial and industrial development of the country in which they operate and have had a positive societal impact.   For further information on the awards please visit http://www.african-utility-week.com/industryawards  

Leading water and energy platform
African Utility Week takes place from 16-18 May 2017 at the CTICC in Cape Town, gathering over 7000 decision makers in the power and water sectors from more than 40 countries to source the latest solutions and meet over 300 suppliers. The expo will feature free to attend technical workshops and technology demonstrations. The event has won the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) award for the Best Trade Exhibition 6001-12000 sqm category.

KPMG is diamond sponsor
Already leading global advisory firm KPMG has confirmed that it is returning to African Utility Week, this time as its exclusive diamond sponsorship. Other long-running supporters and industry stalwarts EPG, Landis+Gyr, Ontec and Shell are also back as platinum sponsors while Conlog, Oracle, SAP and Vodacom are gold sponsors again.

Part of the event is Energy Revolution Africa, a new platform for community scale projects, which will provide a unique forum for solution providers to meet with the new energy purchasers such as metros and municipalities, IPPs, rural electrification project developers and large power users, including mines, commercial property developers and industrial manufacturers.

African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa are organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, real estate, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include Agritech Expo Tanzania, CBM-TEC, Kenya Mining Forum, Future Energy East Africa (formerly EAPIC), Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy Central Africa (formerly iPAD Cameroon), iPAD Nigeria Mining Forum, DRC Mining Week and EduWeek. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.

Dates for African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa:
Conference and expo: 16-18 May 2017
Awards gala dinner:  17 May 2016
Site visits: 19 May 2016
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa
Websites: http://www.african-utility-week.com    
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities   
Linkedin: African Power Forum

Contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“Drought has exposed the poor, or lack of, water management”  

“The drought that has impacted many regions within South Africa for a considerable length of time now has exposed the poor, or lack of, water management (monitoring and control) ability of many water institutions, as well as the difficulties and inability of municipalities and their consumers to be able to reduce their consumption when required” says Steve Gillham, General Manager: Engineering and Scientific Services, Umgeni Water and advisory board member of African Utility Week, the leading annual conference and exhibition with a strong focus on water management, taking place in Cape Town in May.

He adds: “there are many hard lessons being learnt by the affected water institutions that need to be shared and documented to improve the response for future drought events. Responses have come from national, provincial, water boards and municipalities to dry to address the situation. Certain initiatives have been more effective than others”.  

Water becoming scarce commodity
It may come as a surprise to some that globally South Africa is classified as a water-stressed country, with annual rainfall of about 492 millimetres compared to other areas with around 985 millimetres. The Western Cape is in a situation where the threat of water shedding is looming and currently on high alert with level 3B water restrictions.

“This vital resource needs our help!“ says Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl, editor of ESI-Africa, a leading power and water trade publication and session chair at African Utility Week, “and considering that water is increasingly becoming a scarce commodity, time has come for us to become extra mindful of our water usage as a way of life going forward, even after the restrictions are lifted in the future.” She explains: “the question to ask yourself is what your household and company are using potable water resources on. We were in a similar situation with electricity load shedding and rallied around backup generators, energy efficient light bulbs and switching off equipment in standby mode.”

Let us not fall back into old habits”
“The same applies to water” Nicolette adds, “the solutions are endless and people are coming up with innovative ways to manage their water usage more effectively, such as attaching extension pipes to outlets to run grey water straight into the garden. Incidentally, research has shown that gardens, toilets, baths and showers use the most water. So concentrate on managing these areas. Consider putting a layer of mulch around trees and plants to slow evaporation, choose water wise plants, opt for a rock garden instead or find alternatives such as artificial grass.”  

ESI Africa’s editor says: “Around the house fix dripping taps, do not let the water run whilst brushing your teeth or washing your hands. Try a ‘dry’ shower by turning off taps whilst soaping up – be bold, inventive and imagine a life without water as your inspiration.”  

She adds: “it is also very inspiring to hear about big apartment blocks in the city that have organised to give all the residents a big 10 litre bucket each to collect their grey water which is then used to water the gardens and used to clean the building and outside facilities.” “Let’s use our social media (neighbourhood Facebook and Whatsapp groups) to help each other manage this precious resource more efficiently. And most importantly, when the rain does come, let us not fall back into old habits. And let’s not forget that South Africa is celebrating the annual National Water Week next month from 16-19 March to raise awareness while World Water Day takes place on 22 March.”

Managing water services better
“Drinking water and wastewater utilities in Africa are struggling to cope with the increasing demand for services, especially in rapidly growing urban areas” says Evan Schiff, event director of African Utility Week. He continues: “responding adequately to this ever increasing demand necessitates strong and active partnerships between the private sector in particular and municipal governments”.

The water track at African Utility Week will bring together experts from public and private sectors to support utilities and municipalities become more responsive and efficient in their practices.  

Leading water and energy platform
African Utility Week takes place from 16-18 May 2017 at the CTICC in Cape Town, gathering over 7000 decision makers in the power and water sectors from more than 40 countries to source the latest solutions and meet over 300 suppliers. The expo will feature free to attend technical workshops and technology demonstrations.

KPMG is diamond sponsor Already leading global advisory firm KPMG has confirmed that it is returning to African Utility Week, this time as its exclusive diamond sponsorship. Other long-running supporters and industry stalwarts EPG, Landis+Gyr, Ontec and Shell are also back as platinum sponsors while Conlog, Oracle and Vodacom are gold sponsors again.

Part of the event is Energy Revolution Africa, a new platform for community scale projects, which will provide a unique forum for solution providers to meet with the new energy purchasers such as metros and municipalities, IPPs, rural electrification project developers and large power users, including mines, commercial property developers and industrial manufacturers.

African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa are organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, real estate, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include Agritech Expo Tanzania, CBM-TEC, Kenya Mining Forum, Future Energy East Africa (formerly EAPIC), Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy Central Africa (formerly iPAD Cameroon), iPAD Nigeria Mining Forum, DRC Mining Week and EduWeek. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.

Dates for African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa:
Conference and expo: 16-18 May 2017
Awards gala dinner:  17 May 2016
Site visits: 19 May 2016
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Websites: http://www.african-utility-week.com    
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities   
Linkedin: African Power Forum

Contact: Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Expo and conference to focus on major industry trends  

“The power and energy landscape in Africa is undergoing significant change” says Evan Schiff, African Utility Week event director, adding that current trends include “the availability of private investment for power and energy projects, the fast development of energy storage, renewable energy is becoming cheaper, gas that is an increasingly attractive  mode of power generation in Africa, and that in the next 10 years, nuclear will become an increasingly important mode of base-load power generation.”

The investment, trade and development opportunities in the sub-Saharan Africa’s electricity sector are estimated at $835 billion of capital investment, $490 billion for generation capacity and $345 billion for infrastructure.

Real world doers share their expertise The 17th annual African Utility Week is the leading conference and trade exhibition for African power, energy and water professionals and takes place from 16-18 May 2017 at the CTICC in Cape Town. The event will gather over 7000 decision makers from more than 40 countries to source the latest solutions and meet over 300 suppliers. Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions the event also boasts a seven track conference with over 300 expert speakers.

The conference programme will once again address the latest challenges, developments and opportunities in the power and water sectors: ranging from generation, T&D, metering, technology and water. These include two exclusive plenary keynote sessions featuring the most sought-after international speakers. Says Evan: “we are known for consistently gathering a group of industry elite real world doers who share their expertise from grid to socket, best practices for effective power and water supply. Once again, we will not disappoint.”  

KPMG is diamond sponsor Already leading global advisory firm KPMG has confirmed that it is returning to African Utility Week, this time as its exclusive diamond sponsorship. “KPMG’s commitment to create agile utilities in the energy sector across Sub-Saharan Africa, has motivated the firm to take up a diamond sponsorship opportunity at the 2017 African Utility Week” says Ahmed Jaffer, Chairman of KPMG in South Africa and the Head of Power and Utilities. He adds: “African Utility Week is a great platform that attracts key decision makers within the sector.”

The African Utility Week expo offers an extensive technical programme sessions that are CPD accredited, free to attend, hands-on presentations that take place in defined spaces on the exhibition floor. They discuss practical, day-to-day technical topics, best practices and product solutions that businesses, large power users and utilities can implement in their daily operations.  

New platform: Energy Revolution Africa
“Another strong trend in the sector” says Evan Schiff “is that the energy consumer is becoming more aware of their environment and how their power is generated and distributed, whether they are a residential home, a mine, a village, a shopping centre or manufacturing plant. Cleaner, more affordable energy generating options will increasingly become the norm rather than the exception. All these factors will mean that the utility as we know it will not look the same within 10 years… change will happen.  We are therefore launching Energy Revolution Africa, a new platform for community scale projects.”

Energy Revolution Africa will provide a unique forum for solution providers to meet with the new energy purchasers such as metros and municipalities, IPPs, rural electrification project developers and large power users, including mines, commercial property developers and industrial manufacturers. The latest innovations and projects in the sectors of renewables, future technology, energy efficiency, micro/off-grid and energy storage will be showcased”.

More side events as part of the African Utility Week platform include:

- African Power Finance & Investment Forum: Financiers and project owners will hear from expert speakers who will identify the key trends impacting project finance in regional energy markets with updates on and insights into market opportunities, sources of capital, financing instruments and access to project finance. A featured session on regional power integration will explore new methods of developing cross-border power projects on a PPP basis, explore the opportunities for investors, and show how regional power integration can substantially save capital investment costs.

- The Gas-to-Power World Congress reflects the continuing transformation of the energy ecosystem in Africa and beyond. Gas and renewables are perfect partners to help address an array of future energy challenges, including climate change, energy security and energy finance, currently three of the world’s largest and most important challenges. The event will look at new business and investment opportunities in gas-to-power, energy infrastructure, FSRU, LPG and LNG.  

-  The Utility CEO Forum is held as a 3-day by invitation only board meeting alongside African Utility Week, where the men and women who lead and guide Africa’s power and water sectors discuss the path of transformation. Discussions centre on areas of co-operation, development plans and the advancement of regional centres of excellence throughout Africa.  

-  The Nuclear Power Africa Conference features expert speakers who will address the myths and realities, latest technologies, regulatory and financing challenges and the economic spin offs created by a nuclear new build programme. Nuclear stakeholders and prospective suppliers will gain first hand insights into prospects for new jobs, training programmes, and the business opportunities created by the localisation of the supply chain of a nuclear new build.  

-  The fourth edition of the African Utility Week Power Industry Awards brings together 800 of Africa’s most renowned power and water industry professionals. The Power Industry Awards is the leading gathering to recognise, reward and celebrate the successes of Africa’s power and water sectors during 2016/17.  

-  Africa Utilities Technology Council: Telecommunications/ICT conference track programme to be presented that will cover topics such as: IT/OT convergence, IP networks and utility telecoms network performance measures. The AUTC content will continue in three dedicated sessions – one each in the T&D, Metering and Water tracks of the main strategic conference.  

-    Power Africa - Women in Power Lunch
-    West African Investment Breakfast Briefing
-    East African Investment Breakfast Briefing

Industry support
Apart from KPMG’s diamond sponsorship, long-running supporters and industry stalwarts EPG and Landis+Gyr are also back as platinum sponsors while Conlog, Poweroad, Vodacom and Sensus are gold sponsors again.

African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa are organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. Other flagship events in Spintelligent’s power portfolio are East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC), West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), iPAD Rwanda Power & Mining Investment Forum and iPAD Cameroon Energy & Infrastructure Forum.

Dates for African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa:
Conference and expo: 16-18 May 2017
Awards gala dinner:  17 May 2016
Site visits: 19 May 2016
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Websites: http://www.african-utility-week.com   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities  
Linkedin: African Power Forum

Contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.