As we head towards the end of 2023, COP28 is in sight – due to take place 30 November to 12 December in Dubai in the UAE – and it will be interesting to see what new developments and commitments issue from this forum, critical as it is to addressing the global challenge of climate change, limiting climbing temperatures and, over time, reversing the degradation of the earth’s environment.
Are there ways in which industry can help? Of course, and these are being implemented at many levels and across multiple dimensions.
In this December 2023 issue of Electricity + Control we feature Industry 4.0 + IIoT, as well as Energy management + the industrial environment, Measurement + instrumentation, and Transformers, substations + cables. Across the board we can see how industry is working towards producing and using cleaner energy, ensuring more efficient operations and managing the conservation of resources.
In Industry 4.0 + IIoT, we take a closer look at EtherCAT, the ultrafast communications technology developed by Beckhoff and introduced to the market 20 years ago, in 2003. It became an international standard in 2007 and is today an open technology and widely used – valued for the benefits it delivers in control systems. This follows from the breakfast seminar held in Johannesburg in early November and presented by Martin Rostan of the EtherCAT Technology Group.
Recognising that digitalisation and global connectivity are increasingly playing a part in advancing industrial efficiency, it’s also important to remember the legalities around data sovereignty in the digital space – as Andrew Cruise of Routed highlights in his article on safeguarding data sovereignty.
In Energy management + the industrial environment, in the context of a steadily growing number of large-scale solar PV installations that offer industry and other users in South Africa an alternative to conventional coal-fired electricity supply, Ivan Grobbelaar of DEHN Africa sets out the important factors to be considered to mitigate lightning related risk in free-field PV plants.
Dr Karen Surridge of SANEDI shares the successes of a pilot project which, with the installation of biodigesters at two SANDF military bases in Makhado, Limpopo, sees both bases now using the biogas produced from kitchen food waste for cooking – and providing enough fuel to cook meals for all personnel stationed at each base.
In Measurement + instrumentation, Comtest shares a Fluke application note which shows how sound-imaging tools can be used to better manage and maintain compressed air systems, contributing to energy savings and maintenance efficiencies in operating plants, in this instance in a bottling plant in the food and beverage industry.
Transformers, substations and cables all constitute critical equipment in power supply systems. Here, the IEA notes how grids, globally, need upgrading now to meet the changing and growing needs of a global energy system in transformation. It also highlights how digital technologies can improve the functioning of power grids significantly to help integrate clean energy sources successfully.
Looking at some of the broader considerations in the energy transition, in our column Engineering the future, we learn about the findings of a team of MIT researchers who explored the cost factors involved in clean energy technology, including hard and soft technologies, and how these could be adjusted to enable further cost reductions in clean energy tech.
And Write @ the back, Keketso Motjuwadi of DHVHaskoning flags the importance of COP28 as a critical moment for Africa’s climate action. He points to some of the areas where he sees governments and stakeholders can look to make progress at this year’s Conference of Parties, including infrastructure development, green technology innovation and skills and training.