Release
Exhibition Management Services (EMS) announced that the company is well on track to host this exhibition at Gallagher Convention Centre. Armed with the experience of having hosted many successful energy efficiency and renewable energy exhibitions throughout the continents, Energex Africa will be hosted for the first time under this brand from 7 to 9 June 2011 in association with The Star newspaper as part of the country’s largest publishing house.
EMS has been organising exhibitions since 1981 and has more than 150 successful exhibitions on the company repertoire. They are the leading independent organizer on the African continent, with associates based in Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
‘Greening’ has recently become a priority within many different industries and even within the home. Various new products are available, which are promised to be environmentally friendly, with little impact on our environment. Although this is good vision, South Africa is still responsible for 42% of the continent’s gas emissions, mainly as a by-product of power generation.
While renewable energy accounts for 60% of newly installed capacities in Europe and 50% in the US, Africa is in dire need of sustainable energy projects. The urgency is worsened with the fact that some African countries are only 5% electrified and that South Africa is number 12 on the top 20 list of greenhouse gas emitters.
Energex Africa 2011will focus on challenges facing renewable efficient energy, such as battery technology, power analyzers for easy energy analysis, systems and products to protect photovoltaic systems against surge voltages, as well as a range of domestic and industrial energy efficient products, including lighting systems.
Says John Thomson, Managing Director of EMS: “It is estimated that by 2050 one billion people in Africa, south of the Sahara, will be living in cities. This requires a lot of clean energy.”
Energy that is generated should not only be clean, but also cost effective. Many families in Africa live on less that $5 per day and some on only $90 per annum. In the short run, expensive electricity will thus not be feasible on the African continent.
“Coal-fired power stations, although affordable, emit one kilogram of carbon dioxide per kilowatt that is consumed. This is almost 9 tons per capita per annum, as 90% of our electricity is generated by coal-fired power stations. Hydro, wind and solar power generation emits virtually zero CO2 gasses, as does nuclear generation. Each of these, however, has its own set of challenges. Hydro power, for instance, varies with the amount of rainfall received and, since the climate varies greatly over African countries, the power which will be generated will not be sufficient for many drier countries and thus not a viable solution for these countries,” explains Thomson. “There are many creative ways to generate sustainable energy. For example, in the state of Bilhar, eastern India, thousands of villagers produced rice husk waste. A gassifier was implemented to burn these husks, creating gas that, in turn, powered a generator.
This was an environmentally friendly and cost effective initiative for the villagers.”
The energy that South Africa produces is not climate friendly and the economy has stripped the electricity generating capacity. “Shortly, South Africa will double its consumption and in the medium term, double it again,” says Thomson, “hence the absolute necessity for renewable and efficient energy.”
These opinions have been echoed by Ms. Dipuo Peters, Minister of Energy, who has been quoted to say that Government acknowledges that renewable energy has the potential to make substantial contributions towards energy supply security and have identified targets for renewable energy within the integrated resource plan (IRP).
“The public is only superficially aware and in some cases completely unaware of the possible solutions in terms of energy saving products which can lessen the severity of the energy crisis. The exhibition will showcase the steps that have been taken to solve the challenges presented. There will be solutions for industrial issues, as well as products for the home on display. Furthermore, there will be open forum discussions for the public,” explains Thomson. Companies who will exhibit their products may include sectors such as green energy, hydrogen and fuel cells, natural and bio gas. Construction companies, as well as automation engineering will also attend. Energex Africa is the only exhibition of its kind in South Africa endorsed by the Department of Energy, City Power and the National Energy Fund. The exhibition is also endorsed by the City of Johannesburg and the Rural Energy Foundation. Furthermore, it is also the only show officially endorsed by the Minister of Energy.
Media partners to the event include Alternative Energy Africa, the Africa Report, African Energy Journal, African Review, African Energy RE News India and Green Times.
“The exhibition will serve as a platform to encourage investment in this industry, specifically in Gauteng; to create employment opportunities within the sector; to promote the sales of energy efficient products, to benefit the region and country as a whole; to educate consumers regarding products and services that are available and how these can be utilized to save electricity and costs; and to promote the City of Johannesburg’s social responsibility in this regard.
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