On February 28, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will host the "U.S.-South Africa Workshop on Energy Storage Standards, Conformance, and Technology," in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is the third workshop organized by ANSI under the U.S.-Africa Clean Energy Standards Program (CESP), which is sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and in partnership with Power Africa.
Access to safe and reliable electricity is vital for economic growth and development. As countries like South Africa attempt to augment their electrical capacity by incorporating renewable energies, energy storage systems become critical to increase efficiency and reliability. The workshop will feature insights on the current state of the country's electrical infrastructure and usage, with input from South African experts, including the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), which serves as the chair of the South African Energy Storage Steering Committee.
U.S. experts will give presentations on relevant standards, conformance, and technology. The workshop is intended to foster discussions regarding cross-cutting issues as well as opportunities for U.S. and South African cooperation. To register for this event, please email [email protected].
In 2015, South African investment in renewable energies reached $4.5 billion. While this investment has increased available energy capacity, the variable nature of renewables limits their commercial viability. When supported by international standards and good regulatory practices, energy storage technologies ensure more consistent energy flows, help distributors balance renewable energy inputs, and improve electrical grid flexibility.
Energy storage technologies allow distributors to provide power when it is needed, rather than when it is best generated. If deployed effectively, energy storage can make off-grid energy a reliable and cost-effective option for millions of South Africans. In addition, if integrated into South Africa's electricity grids, energy storage will help the continent integrate more renewable energy into its grid supply, improve the reliability of the current electrical supply, and defer significant investments from generation to new transmission and distribution capacity.
Future topics under consideration for U.S.-Africa CESP workshops include smart meter solutions and mini-grids.
ANSI members interested in any of these potential workshop topics are invited to contact [email protected] to learn more. For additional information on the program and the opportunity to propose other workshop topics, please visit the U.S.-Africa CESP website.