Eskom signs on for efficiency

Johannesburg, 06 Feb 2008

Beleaguered power utility Eskom is to participate in Sun Microsystems' and the National Energy Efficiency Agency's (NEEA's) energy-efficient IT pilot.

The programme is aimed at establishing a case study for local companies and state organisations on the cost and energy savings that new technologies can enable.

Initiated by Sun Microsystems, the programme is primarily funded by the NEEA, which is a division of the state-owned Central Energy Fund (CEF).

In November, CEF acting general operations manager Barry Bredenkamp revealed IT represented more than half of Eskom's energy bill at its Megawatt offices, in Johannesburg.

About-turn

Last week, Bredenkamp told ITWeb that Eskom had indicated it would not be able to participate in the programme.

"Eskom has a lot on its plate at the moment. Introducing such a programme into an environment like its Megawatt head office would be risky at the moment, potentially impacting on the energy management initiatives it is busy with. They really are just too busy with other things at the moment," he explained.

However, the organisation appears to have changed its mind.

Eskom GM of demand-side management Andrew Etzinger says the utility will participate in the initiative.

"Eskom fully supports the project and potential benefits. Various pilot sites were considered within Eskom and a decision was made to implement at the Eskom Conference Centre rather than at our head office. If the pilot is successful, we would certainly consider rolling out to our other offices."

Budget aplenty

Bredenkamp confirmed this morning that Eskom is on board with the programme. However, agreements have not yet been signed between the two parties.

Meanwhile, the CEF has committed its head office and SA National Parks (SANParks) to the pilot.

Additionally, Dimension Data's Bryanston office park, The Campus, has expressed interest in becoming involved.

"We will begin the pre-implementation monitoring at the CEF's and SANParks' offices within the next two weeks. We are planning to begin the implementation of the green technology at these sites by the end of May," says Bredenkamp.

As for financing available for the project, Bredenkamp says the organisation has a "significant" budget that is increasing almost daily.

"We will always be able to find funding; this is a national priority. If we can prove that green IT can reduce power demand, then we will have a part-solution to the current energy crisis. We need to address SA's energy consumption because there is no quick-fix to increasing availability," he explains.