Lubhalwe nguThabo Molelekwa we-Oxpeckers
Ismart software ingaxhumanisa izinkulungwane zezindlu esiteshini esisodwa samandla esibonakalayo.
Ochwepheshe bathi isithiyo esikhulu akuseyona ubuchwepheshe kodwa imithetho edingekayo ukuvumela imindeni ukuthi ikhokhelwe.
Lapho ukucima kogesi kuqala cishe eminyakeni engamashumi amabili edlule, abantu baseNingizimu Afrika baqala ukutshala izigidigidi zamarandi kumaphaneli elanga ophahleni, amabhethri, kodwa bambalwa ababecabanga ukuthi lezo zinhlelo zasekhaya zingasebenza njengesiteshi esisodwa samandla ngolunye usuku.
Kodwa-ke lokho kuyisithembiso se-Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), okuyinethiwekhi yedijithali exhumanisa izinkulungwane zezinsizakusebenza zamandla ezisatshalaliswa, okuvumela isoftware ukuthi ixhumanise lapho kukhiqizwa ugesi, kugcinwa noma kudliwa. Esikhundleni sokwakha iziteshi zamandla ezintsha, ama-VPP asebenzisa ingqalasizinda esivele ikhona.
U-Eskom, inkampani kazwelonke ehlinzeka ngogesi, ithi ama-VPP angadlala indima ebalulekile njengoba uhlelo lukagesi lwaseNingizimu Afrika luba lula kakhulu, kodwa kufanele luhambisane nokutshalwa kwezimali esikhundleni sokuthatha indawo yokutshalwa kwezimali kwingqalasizinda entsha yokukhiqiza kanye nokudlulisa ugesi.
Lo mqondo usuvele usetshenziswa eNingizimu Afrika. Ukuthi ngabe uba yitshe lesisekelo sokuguquka kwamandla ezweni kuncike kakhulu kubuchwepheshe kodwa kuncike kakhulu kumthethonqubo.
Eminyakeni emithathu edlule, inkampani yamandla ahlakaniphile eseKapa iPlentify ixhume imizi engu-500 ngokusebenzisa abalawuli be-geyser abasebenzisa i-inthanethi. Esikhundleni sokuthembela kuma-timer aqinile, isoftware inqume ukuthi amanzi kufanele afudunyezwe nini.
Ngokusho kwePlentify, lokhu kwehlise isidingo sikagesi sesikhathi sokusetshenziswa esiphezulu ngamaphesenti angu-80, waphinda kabili inani likagesi welanga osetshenziswa ama-geyser futhi wanciphisa isidingo esiphezulu ngamaphesenti angu-60, kuyilapho imindeni iqhubeka nokuba namanzi ashisayo lapho iwadinga. Ukuhlolwa kuphinde kwabonisa ukuthi izilawuli ezihlakaniphile ezihlanganisiwe zingagwema ukwanda “kokubuya” okuvame ukubangelwa lapho izinhlelo zokulawula ama-ripple ezivamile zishintsha izinkulungwane zama-geyser ngesikhathi esisodwa.
Kwakungeyona into eyenzeka kanye kuphela.
Kusukela lapho inkampani yandise ubuchwepheshe ezindaweni ezingu-13 zeBalwin Properties, lapho abalawuli be-geyser abahlakaniphile abangu-9,000 bexhumanisa ukufudumeza kwamanzi ngezikhathi zokukhiqizwa kwelanga okuphezulu. Ngokusho kwenkampani iPlentify, lolu hlelo lwandise ukusetshenziswa kwamandla elanga kuma-geyser ngo-79%, lwehlisa ukusetshenziswa kukagesi ngezikhathi eziphakeme kakhulu ngo-46% futhi lwehlisa isidingo esiphezulu ngo-36%, kuyilapho izakhamuzi zizuze ngezindleko eziphansi zikagesi ngaphandle kokulahlekelwa ukutholakala kwamanzi ashisayo.
Umkhiqizi we-inverter uDeye ubambisene nePlentify ukuhlanganisa cishe u-2.7GWh esitoreji samabhethri esivele sifakiwe emakhaya nasemabhizinisini cishe kabili umthamo wephrojekthi yokugcina amabhethri yokuqala ye-Eskom. Izokwenza lokhu ngokuvumela amabhethri okuhlala e-Deye angu-160,000 asevele afakiwe ezweni lonke ukuthi ahlanganiswe ngeplatifomu ye-VPP yePlentify.
Ngokungafani neziteshi zamandla ezivamile ezikhiqiza ugesi endaweni eyodwa, i-VPP ixhumanisa izinkulungwane zezimpahla zamandla amancane izinhlelo zelanga ezisophahleni, amabhethri, izimoto zikagesi, ama-geyser ahlakaniphile kanye nezinye izinto zikagesi eziguquguqukayo futhi izilawula nge software.
Ekhuluma ne-Oxpeckers, isikhulu esiphezulu sePlentify uJon Kornik uthe ubuchwepheshe buvumela ingqalasizinda yasekhaya ekhona ukuthi isebenze ngokubambisana.
“Isoftware inquma ukuthi la madivayisi kufanele asebenzise nini, agcine lapho kufaneleka khona, anikeze ugesi ukuze andise inani lemindeni kanye negrid,” esho.
Umthelela ungaba mkhulu.
Uma imindeni engu-15,000 ingahle ibambezeleke ekufudumaleni kwama-geyser ayo kagesi isikhathi esifushane ngesikhathi esifunwa kakhulu ebusuku, uKornik ulinganisela ukuthi igrid inganciphisa ngokushesha isidingo cishe ngo-45MW, okulingana nomkhiqizo we-Eskom esikhiqiza udizili, kodwa ngaphandle kokushisa uphethiloli. Imindeni ingakhokhelwa ngokunikeza lokho kuguquguquka, esho.
INingizimu Afrika isesimweni esihle kakhulu salolu hlobo ngoba iminyaka yokuncipha komthwalo ibangele enye yezinga lokukhula okusheshayo emhlabeni ekufakweni kwe-solar kanye namabhethri ezindlu. Izigidi zama-geyser kagesi, enye yemithwalo kagesi emikhulu kakhulu ezweni, sezivele zifakiwe kuwo wonke amaqembu emali engenayo.
“Isithiyo esikhulu akuseyona ubuchwepheshe kodwa umthethonqubo,” kusho uKornik. “INingizimu Afrika idinga imithetho yemakethe evumela imindeni enamaphaneli elanga, amabhethri kanye nezinto zikagesi ezihlakaniphile ukuthi zihlinzeke ngezinsizakalo zegridi futhi zinxeshezelwe ngakho.”
Le ndaba ikhiqizwe yi-Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism futhi yabelwana ngayo ne-Scrolla.Africa njengengxenye yokubambisana kokuqukethwe. Funda uphenyo oluphelele ku-Oxpeckers.org.
Esithombeni esingenhla: Amadoda ophahleni efaka amaphaneli elanga.
Umthombo wesithombe: Oxpeckers.