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Just like other big electricity users, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has to live with the reality of disrupted electricity supply. In 2008, when the electricity crisis was at its worst, big electricity users had to cut back consumption by 15% as stipulated by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).
When Eskom resorted to load-shedding during the electricity supply crisis, the bank’s operations were disrupted.
Graham Tate, the bank’s divisional executive for procurement, administration and facilities management, says business disruption is ranked third among the bank’s top 10 risks, followed by information technology systems failure.
While the country has not experienced load-shedding since April 2008, the government and Eskom warn that we are not out of the woods. The global economic downturn, which forced some of the country’s biggest electricity users to cut back on usage, is behind the relative calm in electricity supply.
The question for many is: what happens when these users, boosted by economic recovery, increase usage? A combination of possible supply problems and the certain increase in prices has given users, big and small, a wake-up call. The era of cheap, abundant electricity is behind us.
“What we have to do is to brace ourselves for supply shortages,” Tate says.
As a development financier, the bank encourages innovation and sustainable development. That entails lending support to the development of good practices such as clean energy.
Through its energy master plan, the bank is practicing what it preaches.
In terms of the plan, demand-side management is one of the options. The first unit of Eskom’s Medupi power station comes on stream in 2012. Between now and then, the country is at risk of yet another electricity crisis, should demand pick up. Demand-side management is, therefore, the low-hanging fruit, Tate says.
Reducing demand is practical. The bank took steps to reduce consumption at its Midrand offices. Among other things, it replaced incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving ones and upgraded to solar-powered geysers.
“We’re retrofitting our older building with timer switches on our heating, ventilating and air- conditioning systems to shut down between 6pm until 6am, to reduce unnecessary energy consumption,” he says.
“Savings from these initiatives have been enough to meet the regulators’ 15% requirement.”
The bank wants to be at the forefront of energy efficiency. It has embraced the switch to carbon-neutral developments to help reduce South Africa’s carbon footprint. Circumstances force it to take a good look at energy efficiency. The mooted offices of the Pan-African parliament will be on its doorstep. The presence of new neighbours will have far-reaching consequences. For starters, they will put pressure on the nearby sub-station.
The first step towards r educing reliance on Eskom’s grid is a new state-of-the-art off-grid building relying on photovoltaic energy from nearby 30kWp panels. Its features include passive design and an underground ventilation system for fresh air, solar heaters and 40mm floor insulation.
Tate says the building is designed to maximise the benefits of natural light. It has a shading device for late-afternoon summer sun. Its most curious feature must be the soil roof. The bank opted for a 400mm soil and natural grass roof to help regulate the heat.
“Concrete tends to absorb a lot of heat,” he says, and, from an energy perspective, it is easier to heat a building than cool it.
The bank is building a 50-seat office extension based on the green-building design. But it will come complete with an underground tank for storing rain water harvested to be used as “grey” water for irrigation and toilets.
“We’re slowly progressing towards getting the campus energy neutral. We have to manage the available power and new developments must help compensate for the energy inefficiency of the older buildings on campus.”
The bank plans to upgrade the air-conditioning system of its 163-seat modern auditorium complex.
“Air-conditioning is inefficient from an energy perspective. We plan to install two 100kW CSP plants to generate electrical and heat energy, to get these buildings energy neutral and tie them into a 11kV campus smart grid where excess energy can be channelled for peak load demand management going forward.”
The bank wants to exploit solar technology potential. Subject to board approval, it intends to build a 1MW photovoltaic plant: “We’ve applied for a generation licence from Nersa. Wehope to sign a power purchase agreement with Eskom.”
The eagerness to save and be energy neutral is understandable, given forecast prices. Eskom has applied for a 35% tariff increase in each of the next three years. If granted, the bank’s bill will be more than R1m a month. If Nersa grants Eskom a 25% increase, it will pay R800000 a month. Its consumption goes towards heating-cooling systems (50%), lighting-computers (25%), water heating (15%), and ancillary systems (10%).
- TIME LIVE
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