There has been growing momentum in the energy sector which appears to give credence to governments across the world’s commitment to transition to low-carbon economies. The promise to expand the existing network of Renewable Energy Development (RED) Zones and power corridors incentivizing cleaner energy and including such placement within mining areas, not only to promote self-generation by mines, but also sustainable rehabilitation.
South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa said at the opening of the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba recently, that he implores mining entities to invest in sustainable energy resources. This sentiment has been echoed by minister Gwede Mantashe and his Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), the past couple of months.
Securing the various environmental benefits associated with mining and energy developments remains challenging and at times it restricts innovation within these sectors. The industrial sector is responsible for 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions. The current context creates the opportunity to rethink our industries; to build resilience and increase competitiveness while reducing emissions and paving the way towards a carbon-neutral future. The smart solutions that reduce energy consumption, improve productivity, and help integrate renewable energy sources are available today.
The World Bank estimates that production of minerals like graphite, lithium and cobalt will grow by 500% in the next three decades to meet demand for clean energy technologies. It is with this in mind, that the Danfoss Drives office in South Africa has rolled-out a series of thought leadership webinars on the topic of Energy Efficiency in 2020. With the campaign’s overwhelming success with international audiences, the webinar campaign was extended into 2021. This year the webinars will focus on technologies that optimize energy consumption & longevity of drive components in the mining industry.
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Variable Speed/Frequency Drives (VFD) are expanding their use as the starter of choice, not only in applications that require speed control but also in applications that require torque control and mechanical ‘soft starting’. The VFD has the capability to perform active load sharing between multiple motors on the same operating system, allowing one VFD to assume the function of a master and others as the follower, so when the master’s torque increases, the follower’s torque limit increases, allowing it to contribute more torque to the load
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry