As we head towards the Local Government Elections and the country battles another stretch of load shedding – we are again starkly reminded of the critical nexus of energy and information, not only in industry but in our day to day lives. We learn more and more about how past decisions and deviations have brought our national electrical power utility to where it is today – and one can only wonder at the slow turning of the wheels of government that have – almost two years on – still not seen any finality on the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMI4P). We are at least moving forward on REI4P with Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe announcing 25 preferred bidders to develop more than 2 500 MW of solar and wind power which will happen over the next two to three years.
In this context – as well as turning to backup power options and accelerating own-generation power supply – industry looks increasingly to optimising plant and production efficiencies. In this November issue of Electricity + Control we share some of the technologies, tools and systems that support optimised plant performance across diverse industries.
In Control systems + automation, we look at the implementation of Siemens’ Braumat software at the Maluti Mountain Brewery in Lesotho, part of the global ABInBev group. For more than 40 years Braumat has been recognised as the standard for automation in brewing, enabling greater flexibility and supporting multiple production and resource efficiencies.
We learn how Beckhoff automation and control hardware and software is being used in a grid test island set up by the IEH at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology to investigate and develop grid control systems that will allow for optimum integration of renewable energy into national and regional power transmission grids.
And we look at the new Eplan Platform 2022 which enables collaboration among all players involved in the electrotechnical engineering of machines and plant systems.
In Drives, motors + switchgear Sydney Govender of Danfoss Drives South Africa explains how intelligent drives in networked automation systems have become much more than power processors, providing secure and smart connectivity and serving as sensor hubs to support condition-based maintenance.
We learn too, why Eaton’s SF6-free switchgear – with its operational and environmental benefits – was selected as the most energy- and cost-efficient solution for the power distribution system at Africa’s biggest retail distribution facility.
Looking at Sensors + switches we see that sensors have become key components in intelligent plants – tracking and providing all the data needed to optimise plant performance and reduce maintenance costs.
In Plant maintenance, test + measurement, as the world is increasingly working remotely, Pepperl+Fuchs outlines the value and benefits of smart mobile end devices to enable remote support for on-site plant operators, from off-site technicians and experts, anytime and anywhere, when complex commissioning or maintenance procedures need to be carried out.
Teledyne FLIR presents the case of a North American water bottling company that specified large format IR windows to facilitate safe maintenance of electrical equipment at its plants. This delivered the added benefit of enabling routine maintenance checks to be carried out more often and more consistently than before, further minimising the risk of downtime.
In the bigger picture at this time, the world is looking to governments and role-players attending COP26 to take a clear stand on the way forward in transitioning to a cleaner, greener way of living and working, making and consuming – that will support our planet and future generations. More on this in the December edition of Electricity + Control to come.
Click here to download and read this issue in PDF format.
