Managing South Africa\u2019s transmission network more strategically could unlock significant amounts of renewable energy capacity to make more power available to the country, its people and its economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is according to the Managing Director of the transmission division for Eskom, Segomoco Scheepers, who spoke at the Green Energy Africa Summit on Tuesday (10 October).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By using a system called curtailment, the transmission network can be capacitated to host more renewable generators, and up to 4GW of additional capacity can be connected,<\/strong> Scheepers explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This could reduce load shedding by four stages, as Eskom sheds roughly 1GW per stage of load shedding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Current Eskom peak daily generation is around 28GW. Curtailment involves reducing output from renewable plants to release immediate grid capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCurtailment is a technique applied by utilities in parts of the world that have a far larger penetration of renewables than we have,\u201d said Scheepers. \u201cWe are engaging with our customer base who might be affected by the curtailment plan, and so far, the feedback has been very positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The curtailment approach could unlock scarce grid capacity in high-potential renewables regions like the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape \u2013 and would allow for additional generation capacity to be built at points on the grid that had previously been fully committed, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn general terms, for the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape. With less than 10% curtailment, we can add an additional 4GW of generation capacity.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n “But clearly, it’s something that needs to be properly discussed with the regulator and other stakeholders,\u201d said Scheepers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe will then be able to communicate who can be connected to specific nodes on the grid. Getting approval for this strategy is already part of our workflow process.\u201d Scheepers noted that the proposed framework requires the approval of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and an outline by the Independent Power Producer Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWithout curtailment, it’s almost like you are wasting energy,\u201d explained Scheepers. \u201cCurtailment ensures we don’t destabilise the system by getting too much generation when the demand is actually low.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scheepers also said Eskom planned to be more systematic in how it dealt with its connection obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom a generation perspective, as we increase the level of renewables in the system, it’s important that we assess the cumulative impact of all the allocations before they are approved. Because if you over-commit in your approval of renewables, you potentially could be putting the system at risk, which is something we totally must avoid.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are living in exciting times,\u201d said Scheepers. \u201cWe continue working to decarbonise and to improve energy security. The transmission grid is critical to enabling that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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