USTDA Expands Commitment to Renewable Energy Development in South Africa
June 6, 2014
(USTDA)
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA– Today, U.S. Trade
and Development Agency Director Leocadia I. Zak
signed grants for three renewable energy
projects in South Africa.
"USTDA remains committed to fostering
sustainable economic growth in South Africa,"
said Director Zak. "These activities support
South Africa's goal of meeting energy demands
by increasing generation capacity from
renewable energy sources."
This morning, Director Zak hosted a roundtable
in Johannesburg for public and private sector
stakeholders from the U.S. and South African
solar power sectors. The event provided
attendees the opportunity to share lessons
learned from past efforts and to discuss both
current challenges and future opportunities.
During the roundtable, Director Zak signed a
grant agreement with Ample Solar for a project
that will evaluate the use of Areva Solar's
(Mountain View, CA) innovative technology at
two concentrated solar power plants that Ample
Solar is planning to build in the Northern
Cape.
Director Zak later signed a grant to Basil Read
Energy to assist their efforts to develop a
run-of-river hydropower plant that would supply
electricity for more than 75,000 households.
The project, which Basil Read plans to submit
as part of its bid in an upcoming round of
South Africa's Renewable Energy Independent
Power Producer Procurement Program, will help
diversify the country's energy mix and reduce
environmental emissions.
USTDA also finalized a grant agreement with
Plessey, a leading South African
telecommunications solutions provider, to fund
a pilot project on U.S. fuel cell technology
applications for use by the telecom industry in
South Africa. The project will enable Oorja
Protonics (Fremont, CA) to demonstrate the
usage of methanol-powered fuel cells as the
primary or secondary power supply at remote
telecom tower sites that are currently powered
by diesel fuel generators. The use of these
cost-effective fuel cells, which are 40% more
energy efficient than diesel generation, would
significantly reduce carbon dioxide and other
noxious emissions.
Each of these projects is being funded under
the U.S.-Africa Clean Energy Finance
Initiative, an innovative U.S. government
effort to catalyze private sector investment
for clean energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa
by supporting early-stage project development.
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