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always seems to be a stumbling block somewhere.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/340867-south-african-farmers-blocked-from-helping-to-solve-load-shedding.html/amp

Many South African farmers want to generate enough green electricity to cover their own use and sell the rest to Eskom and municipalities, but they are blocked from doing it.

This is according to Agri SA corporate member Sonfin, which specializes in structuring green power solutions on its customers’ behalf.

The National Energy Regulator (Nersa) recently implemented a process for registration to allow farmers to legally generate their own power.

Once their registration has been approved, a farmer can generate their own electricity and “bank” power on the grid for offsetting against future usage.

This is a positive development which helps farmers to alleviate the impact of high electricity prices and load-shedding.

However, it still does not allow farmers to generate enough electricity to cover their own use and offset the fixed costs and line fees payable to Eskom.

Sonfin told MyBroadband that the Electricity Regulations Act and the Eskom and municipal policies prohibit anybody from selling power to Eskom or municipalities.

“We, almost daily, get enquiries about farmers, businesses, and households that would like to put up solar photovoltaic (PV) and sell power to Eskom and municipalities,” Sonfin said.

Sonfin added that they have several farmers that already approached Eskom to offer to put up PV and even one hydroelectric system to sell power to Eskom which they do not use.

It added that the current Eskom rules for own use, which apply to farmers, also prohibit farmers from achieving a “zero Eskom account”.

Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe recently claimed that available renewable energy, which could help the government to meet electricity demand, is a red herring that does not exist.

He added that he has “not had anybody who has come to the Department of Energy who said we have available energy and want to offer it to you”.

Sonfin told MyBroadband that it had several communications in this regard with the Department of Energy and the Minister.

They added that the Energy Department’s Request for Information last year for projects that could deliver power within 12 months had 481 responses. Since then, not much concrete has happened.

One of the biggest problems is that nothing happens within the timelines promised by the government.

“It takes a minimum of 18 months to get approval from Eskom for grid connection when they promise 180 days,” Sonfin said.

https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2081442-higher-operating-rates-to-weigh-on-china-metals-markets

China's metals markets are expected to come under pressure in the coming weeks from rising supplies following production restarts and weaker demand from downstream sectors, amid a fall in the country's official factory purchasing managers' index (PMI).

China's manufacturing PMI for February fell to a historic low of 35.7 from 50 in January, much lower than expected, reflecting the deep slump in manufacturing activity in the country because of the coronavirus outbreak. A PMI reading below 50 signals a sectoral contraction, while above 50 shows an expansion.

Metals demand from the main downstream sectors, including real estate, lead-acid battery, air-conditioners and electronics, has been affected by the coronavirus crisis as many manufacturers have delayed resuming operations, according to China's nonferrous metals industry association (CNIA).

Prices for most metals have softened in the past week after more smelters resumed operations following a recovery in logistics services. Local governments in many regions have given approvals to producers to resume output as the impact of the coronavirus outbreak eases.

China reported 128 new confirmed coronavirus cases today, according to government figures, compared with over 15,000 on 12 February. The number of patients being treated has fallen to around 30,000.

Rare earths
Operating rates at light rare earths producers in north China have risen to around 80-90pc, with more producers expected to resume regular run rates in mid-March. Prices for light rare earths have softened in response to the rise in supplies and lower demand because of lower operating rates in the magnet manufacturing sector.

Medium and heavy rare earths prices are on the rise because of comparatively lower operating rates. Producers in Guangdong and Guangxi province are operating at 60-70pc of capacity, while run rates in Jiangxi province are around only 50pc. Supply disruptions of ore imports from Myanmar (Burma) caused by the coronavirus outbreak have also supported the uptrend.

Ferro-alloys
Operating rates in the ferro-molybdenum sector are estimated to have risen to around 50-60pc from 40pc, with spot prices falling by 11pc from mid-February as a result of the rise in supplies and weaker demand from the steel industry.

Ferro-silicon smelters are running at 60pc of capacity because of production limits in some regions during the winter heating season typically from December to March. Run rates in the ferro-chrome sector have increased to around 65pc from 40-50pc.

https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2081442-higher-operating-rates-to-weigh-on-china-metals-markets

China's metals markets are expected to come under pressure in the coming weeks from rising supplies following production restarts and weaker demand from downstream sectors, amid a fall in the country's official factory purchasing managers' index (PMI).

China's manufacturing PMI for February fell to a historic low of 35.7 from 50 in January, much lower than expected, reflecting the deep slump in manufacturing activity in the country because of the coronavirus outbreak. A PMI reading below 50 signals a sectoral contraction, while above 50 shows an expansion.

Metals demand from the main downstream sectors, including real estate, lead-acid battery, air-conditioners and electronics, has been affected by the coronavirus crisis as many manufacturers have delayed resuming operations, according to China's nonferrous metals industry association (CNIA).

Prices for most metals have softened in the past week after more smelters resumed operations following a recovery in logistics services. Local governments in many regions have given approvals to producers to resume output as the impact of the coronavirus outbreak eases.

China reported 128 new confirmed coronavirus cases today, according to government figures, compared with over 15,000 on 12 February. The number of patients being treated has fallen to around 30,000.

Tungsten
Some 66 facilities out of 77 member units have restarted production after regional travel controls were lifted, with 70pc of equipment now in operation and 74pc of the labour force resuming work, the China tungsten industry association said today. Operating rates in the tungsten industry are expected to reach 90pc in the short term.

Export markets
China's metal exports, in particular for antimony and tungsten, are poised to fall in the coming weeks as the coronavirus crisis worsens in many countries outside of China.

These countries could follow China's preventive measures and prompt manufacturing companies to shut down to contain the spread of the virus, reducing metals demand.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-bifacial-solar-advances-timesand-sun.html

Traditional solar modules convert light to electricity using photovoltaic (PV) cells on the top side of the panels. Now, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers are shining a light on what lies beneath.

The team at NREL's Golden, Colorado, research site is working with commercial partners including Prism Solar, Sunpreme, and Lumos Solar—a supplier based in the nearby town of Nederland, Colorado—along with major international manufacturers. Leveraging relationships with a total of six companies, the lab will benchmark and compare mono- and bifacial panels from the same brands across multiple years.

The study's 10-row PV array follows the sun using NEXTracker's single-axis tracker technology, increasing the amount of direct sunlight that can be captured for energy. The higher energy production from each module means installations require less supporting hardware per megawatt, lowering what is known as the balance of system costs.

"By boosting output, these modules can also reduce the total number of panels required, which makes for more efficient use of inverters, racking, tracker systems, interconnects, and other hardware," Deline said.

Deline and his team also paired the PV array with two Avalon Battery vanadium redox flow batteries. The batteries store energy generated during the day and make it available for use during higher evening demand.

That storage, along with the solar tracking technology, helps to level the system output. It relieves the steep, mid-day production peaks bookended by lower morning and afternoon generation that is commonly associated with traditional, stationary solar.

"We're running an energy arbitrage scenario with the batteries that discharges in the afternoon and evening with roughly four hours of continued power from solar generation," Deline said. "Otherwise, bifacial gain is clipped at the peak but low elsewhere—so this provides more stable and consistent generation."

The study also supports material durability research in partnership with other research organizations through the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Durable Module Materials Consortium (DuraMAT).

"We're looking at module reliability on single-axis trackers, and specifically whether modules damaged during shipment, resulting in cracked cells, are still usable or deteriorate further when installed on single-axis trackers," Deline said.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-02-28-mathabatha-touts-job-creation-integration-with-sadc/

At the dawn of his 2020 State of the Province Address, Limpopo Premier Chupu Mathabatha painted a picture of a thriving economy in Limpopo against the backdrop of several catalytic projects. These include the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the Tubatsane SEZ, the revitalisation of the industrial parks, and agricultural and mining activities.

Delivering his 2020 State of the Province Address on Thursday, the Premier said these projects were piloted to create job opportunists for the youth, stimulate provincial economic growth and strengthen integrations between countries within the SADC region.

Mathabatha said that under these projects, several plants would be constructed, and it was projected that they would create over 21,000 jobs.

So far, the Premier said, they have recorded significant progress.

“The number of projected jobs to be created by the Musina-Makhado SEZ project has since been revised upwards from the initial 21,000 to 26,000,” he said.

According to Mathabatha, the province has since completed the External Master Plans for both the southern and northern parts of the SEZ. “In the same vein, the internal master plan for the southern part is complete,” he said.

In his 2019 SOPA, Mathabatha said that appropriate resources would be allocated to send young people to universities in China. “The idea is to train and equip these young people with requisite skills to be able to participate fully in the running of our SEZ project,” he said.

Mathabatha said these projects were established to stimulate economic growth, create job opportunities for the youth, and encourage integration with countries within the SADC region.

He said the SEZ company recently signed an additional $1.1-billion in investment commitments. This was followed by a further cash injection to the tune of $15-billion for a vanadium and titanium smelter project from Shanxi CEI Investment Holdings in Northwest China.

The Premier also announced that a local company whose name he did not reveal has committed to manufacture, among other things, new energy solar products, energy electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and high-density polyethene water pipes.

In line with the project, Mathabatha said the training of young people is also taking shape. “In this regard, the province has launched a fully-fledged training centre in Musina. We, therefore, implore all young people to seize the opportunities represented by these developments around the SZE.”

https://reneweconomy.com.au/redflow-hits-straps-overseas-says-australia-still-proving-case-for-battery-storage-16331/

Brisbane-based zinc-bromine flow battery maker Redflow says its focus on key overseas markets is starting to pay off, providing a growing pipeline of “significant opportunities” while the Australian market continues to weigh the case for energy storage.

The company told investors in a results call on Thursday that the company was at a key inflection point of growth, particularly in markets like South Africa where areas of poor or limited grid connection made battery storage solutions like Redflow’s an obvious choice.

Revenue was up 282 per cent to $1.4 million for the first half of the 2020 financial year (compared to H1 FY2019) bolstered by orders from international telecommunications customers, in particular, including Vodacom in South Africa.

A key driver of this growth in revenue was the order and delivery of 68 zinc-bromine flow batteries for at least 20 mobile phone tower sites in South Africa, owned by leading telecommunication company Vodacom. Redflow says the batteries will reduce operational costs for Vodacom through decreased diesel use, lower fuel delivery costs to remote locations and less frequent generator servicing.

“The record half year revenue significantly exceeded the total revenue achieved over FY19, and we are encouraged by the recent orders from world class telecommunications companies,” said Redflow CEO and managing director Tim Harris.

“All of these customers have a critical business need that our unique battery can address and have the ability to order Redflow batteries in material volumes.”

Harris said the company’s zinc bromine flow batteries – which can withstand high temperatures – worked really well in harsh conditions, and remote places where batteries were required for deep cycling and not just stand-by power.

He said that the key difference for Redflow of working in the overseas markets it had targeted was that customers had a “critical business need” for the company’s unique battery solution.

“[In those markets] we’re not trying to prove the case for energy storage,” he said during a conference call on Thursday morning.

“Governments and companies already have a budget set aside for energy storage and we’re simply offering a superior solution.”

In Australia, on the other hand, Harris said the market was still focused on making the case for energy storage, and this, combined with ongoing policy uncertainty and complex regulatory hurdles, often translated into long wait times on projects.

But Harris says the company is maintaining a focus on the local microgrid market, with its “very proudly Australia developed” technology offering unique solutions in the wake of the recent bushfire crisis.

“Our batteries are directly linked to power resilience and productivity,” Harris said. “They are fundamentally designed to operate in harsh conditions,”

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