Optimum reliability integrated WEF renewable technology into the Eskom distribution grid, in the Eastern Cape operating unit

Abstract

The country (RSA) has been a massive upsurge in demand for electricity energy most after fall of apartheid era and as result of rapid industrial development, rapid immigration growth around urban areas and massive rural electrification led to severe energy crisis today. Currently the government through Integrated Energy Plan the plan is to have mixed energy source and the country is moving away from fossil such as coal energy source to more environmentally friendly energy source. Since 2013 until today (October 2022) South African government has been approving and giving Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to connect to the Eskom grid network. Having renewable energy on the network grid which have far low carbon emission compared to current coal source, address energy crisis and aim to reduce carbon emission. One of the main renewable energy technologies which is being connect to the network grid is Wind Energy Facilities (WEF) which the research will be looking into the optimum reliability of it in depth. The energy crisis in the country has necessitated to bring mixed energy source that will be sustainable and reliable for our developing country therefore implementing the correct renewable energy is a fundamental necessity and access to the right renewable energy services provides opportunities for development and improving well-being. This research is an attempt to investigate the optimum reliability for integrated Wind Energy Facility (WEF) renewable technology into the Eskom distribution grid in the Eastern Cape Operating Unit (ECOU). Eskom as main power utility in South Africa, most of Eskom power network has experienced rapid expansion since the mid 1990’s in keeping with the government’s policy of extending electricity as a basic service to millions of previously disadvantaged citizens. Since the inception of the electrification program (or universal access) in 1991 Eskom has connected 4.05 million new households to the electricity grid (Eskom Integrated Report, 2019). Currently government is spearheading “just transition” energy source from mainly coal to renewable energy which necessitated the need for this research so that in the main can assist and recommend to the government the right renewable energy that can address energy crisis and give long lasting sustainable energy supply to the RSA citizens. With network performance at unacceptably poor levels compared to international benchmarks, and with a remaining three million households, over and above the normal growth, to be connected by 2025, Eskom wanted to understand the impact of the additional electrification customers on network performance (PA Consulting/BA Energy Solutions, 2010). Applications are geared in the direction of network grid integration of renewable energy sources such as WEF into Eskom Distribution network grid as results of environmental concerns and the quest for energy security (T.R. Ayodele, A.A. Jomih, J.L. Munda & J.T. Agee, 2012). The increasing share of renewable energies, especially WEF will require coordinated efforts in order to adapt them to the future utility network grid infrastructure (Antonello Gaviano, Karl Weber, Christian Dirmeier, 2020). In 2010 Energy for all 2030 report according to (Samchez, 2010), one fourth of humanity has no access to electricity and nearly half of the world’s population cook with solid biomass using inefficient technologies keeping them trapped in poverty with little or no chance to escape from it and that includes deep rural areas of South African especially in the area of Eastern Cape Province. Another important in this research that assist in assessing and evaluating optimum reliability of WEF will be to do thorough scope on load forecast mainly in the area of our research. This approach of evaluation inclusive doing load forecaster will address mainly research methodology, collected and analysed data because for our research and our chapter five (5) will be part of data analysis which is comparative research study. The effective and economic investment of the electrical power distribution structure is a load forecaster responsibility. To do this, the load forecaster has to look forward to how much power should be distributed also where and when it will be required. The fundamental to supply development is a well-planned and coordinated medium-to-long span load forecast. This gives the future estimate forecast demand electrical in terms of the location, magnitude and temporal (time) features. The load forecaster ought to continuously be looking forward as conceivable in an effort to integrate the planning of generation, transmission, sub-transmission, distribution, embedded/distributed generation and demand side options, to ensure that the development of grid networks and the usage of resources are optimum. “The intention of supply development is to offer a systematic and efficient extension of apparatus and amenities to meet the functionality's future potential electricity requirement with an appropriate echelon of reliability.”