RENEWABLE ENERGY & ELECTRIFICATION Typical microgrid components
Working towards
EPC COMPLIANCE
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Power for residents: Netherlands The first microgrid installation in the Netherlands was at a holiday park in Bronsbergen, approximately 100 km west of Amsterdam. A microgrid was built to provide 208 homes with 315 kW of solar-generated power, with an energy storage capacity of 700 kWh. The microgrid is connected to the national grid via a 10 kV line.
Clean energy for wastewater treatment: California A proposed microgrid project is under way for the wastewater facilities in McKinleyville Community Services District (MCSD) in California, incorporating the existing diesel generators with solar PV and battery storage. The MCSD serves an estimated 16 900 residents and provides key services such as clean water reticulation, wastewater processing, maintenance of parks, etc. The outcome of the project is a wastewater treatment facility that has a target of net-zero emissions. In addition, the microgrid will provide the facility with energy resilience.
Conclusions In all three of the above case studies, there’s a similar, solution-specific role for microgrids across South Africa, and for our municipalities, working in conjunction with independent power producers to speed up their implementation. Power supply has a direct impact on ser vice deliver y. And the lack of power for water reticulation or wastewater treatment
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can have catastrophic implications. Here, microgrids give municipalities greater control to improve energy efficiencies and security, as well as flexible options in terms of modularity and scalability. As with any infrastructure investment, the starting point is a comprehensive needs analysis, which includes researching optimum BSS and BSM technologies, existing and future distribution networks, and operations and maintenance costs. Studying and learning from international microgrid experience within the municipal space is equally important. Funding mechanisms are available to support the deployment of microgrids in Africa. However, the financial modelling must make a sound business case for lenders and investors. A positive step in this direction is the South African government’s decision to increase the non-licensed threshold to 100 MW for independent power producers. This opens the door for more microgrid opportunities. In municipal deployment, the main aim is to produce clean electricity at the lowest cost through optimisation. In this respect, microgrids can ser ve as a catalyst for muchneeded economic recover y and growth. Ultimately, microgrids should form part of all municipal strategic development plans now and into the future.
This is an edited version of a paper presented at the IMESA 2021 Virtual Conference. The full paper can be downloaded at www.imesa.org.za/ conference-2021.
Yovka RaytchevaSchaap, associate: ESD Consulting and Project Management, Zutari
ew regulations introduced in terms of the National Energy Act (No. 34 of 2008) will make it a mandatory requirement for designated building owners to display a certified Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) at the entrance to their properties. The regulations were gazetted in December 2020 with a two-year deadline for compliance, affecting public buildings over 1 000 m2 and non-residential private buildings over 2 000 m2. The South African National Energy Development Institute has defined the process and undertaken the development of tools and guidelines to prepare all stakeholders and enable the efficient implementation of the EPC process. In this respect, consulting engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Zutari is well placed to assist clients with EPC compliance, and allied interventions, given its deep expertise in building services, including building management systems (BMS) and environmentally sustainable design (ESD). Comments Yovka Raytcheva-Schaap, associate: ESD Consulting & Project Management, Zutari: “We offer a wide range of services – from design and construction supervision through to commissioning, building tuning, energy analysis, digital twinning and strategy development for netzero carbon, water and waste performance.”
Up- and downstream services Zutari offers both up- and downstream assistance with the EPC process. Upstream assistance includes identifying and verifying eligible buildings; obtaining records and confirming the performance period, occupancy type, occupied area, energy sources, and energy consumption calculation of preliminary performance and rating; and the submission of packaged building data to an independent inspection body for verification and issuing of an EPC certificate. In turn, downstream assistance includes automation of data collection and verification via BMS for subsequent EPC ratings (implementation of a simple digital twin), and identifying interventions for improving energy performance towards net-zero carbon.
