Waves are a free and sustainable energy resource created as wind blows over the ocean surface. The greater the distances involved, the higher and longer the waves will be. Energy is stored in this way until it reaches the shallows and beaches of our coasts where it is released, sometimes with destructive effects.

Key Facts

• Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface and represent a vast natural energy resource in the form of waves.
• The World Energy Council estimates that 2TW of energy could be harvested from the world’s oceans, the equivalent of twice the world’s electricity production.
• In the UK alone it has been estimated that the recoverable wave energy resource exceeds total UK electricity demand
• As a general rule coastlines with an ocean fetch of greater than 400km are suitable, but even greater resources are available between latitudes 300 and 600 in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
• If less than 0.1% of the renewable energy within the oceans could be converted into electricity it would satisfy the present world demand for energy more than five times over.

Eskom is currently looking into the resource availability of wave power along the east and west coastline of South Africa.

[source:  http://www.eskom.co.za/]

Mines in South Africa are responsible for the majority of the world’s commodities and contribute with some of its largest deposits. Known as the birthplace of precious mineral discoveries, mines in South Africa are rich in gold, diamonds, platinum,uranium, chrome, coal, ilmenite, iron ore lead, manganese, nickel, rare earth minerals, silica, tin, zinc and zircon.

With an abundance of minerals and mines in South Africa, there are also many mining houses and mining companies in Gauteng that utilise the country as the business hub for mines in Africa and general African mining projects.

South African farmers will soon harvest their first crop of energy-rich tobacco plants, an important step towards using the plants to make sustainable aviation biofuel, South African Airways (SAA) and American aeroplane maker Boeing announced yesterday.
SAA and Boeing, along with partners SkyNRG and Sunchem SA, also officially launched Project Solaris, their collaborative effort to develop an aviation biofuel supply chain using a nicotine-free, GMO-free tobacco plant called Solaris.

Company representatives and industry stakeholders visited commercial and community farms in Marble Hall, Limpopo Province, where 50 hectares of Solaris have been planted.

The test crop will be harvested for the first time in December.  Oil from the plant’s seeds may be converted into bio-jet fuel as early as 2015, with a test flight by SAA as soon as practicable.

[source:  http://www.southafrica.info/]

South Africa’s struggling state utility Eskom has enough money to run until January next year and the government will work out a bailout plan for the future.  South Africa will increase diesel and gas imports and sign a private sector coal-fired power plant deal as it seeks to stem chronic electricity shortages, the cabinet said on Thursday.

South Africa has suffered its worst power shortages since 2008 this month due to creaking infrastructure, power plant failures and emergency maintenance.  State utility Eskom warned that if it didn’t continue to implement rolling blackouts, the entire grid could collapse as it lost up to a third of its 42,000 megawatt power generation capacity.

A private sector-led coal-fired power plant programme will be launched by January 2015, which should add 2,500 megawatts to the grid, but no details have been given on when the electricity would be delivered.

South Africa will increase gas imports to supply its under-fuelled power plants, which should help add 500-2,500 megawatts to the grid, the cabinet said. The gas is mostly expected to come from neighbouring Mozambique.

The government will also sign an agreement with the Strategic Fuel Fund and Transnet Ports Authority to improve diesel supplies to power stations, a problem Eskom has said is a major constraint on electricity output.

[source:  http://www.moneyweb.co.za/]