[Johannesburg, 04 March 2016] Energas Technologies, leading supplier of high-end and specialised equipment to the oil and gas industries in Southern Africa, recently exhibited at the Africa Energy Indaba in partnership with their supplier, Turboden, a leading developer and producer of ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) turbogenerators.
Energas Technologies attended the Africa Energy Indaba for the first time this year, with the intention to connect with the suppliers, decision-makers and key role players in Africa’s energy sector brought together by this auspicious event.
“The event was a great success for both Energas Technologies and Turboden,” remarks Laetitia Botha, Energas Technologies Product Engineer, adding, “The quality of the visitors at the Energas Technologies and Turboden booths was remarkable and the various project opportunities, especially related to renewable energy projects, that presented themselves at the Indaba look to be very promising. There was particular interest in waste-to-energy technology, and Turboden and its ORC turbogenerators captured the interest of a number of visitors over the two-day period.”
Partnering with Turboden, European leaders in turbogenerators, Energas was able to highlight the benefits of its innovative and reliable energy solutions for industry in greater depth. Comments Botha, “This partnership was important for us, because we wanted to bring Turboden’s ORC turbogenerator solutions, which have great potential in harnessing Africa’s waste energy, right under the view of our existing and potential customers at the event.”
With a chronic shortage of electricity in Africa, a developing continent whose energy requirements are set only to increase as infrastructure demands grow, a number of visitors to the Energas Technologies booth showed a keen interest in energy generation and recovery in the South African and wider African contexts. “Africa boasts significant natural resources, such as gas, minerals and timber, which have great potential for energy production,” comments Botha, “And while many people are aware of this, creating or recovering energy from these resources is a challenge for most.”
The link between available resources and the market is challenging on many levels: There is available gas, but no pipelines; there are opportunities to produce electricity, but these are restricted by grid infrastructure. “Arguably the biggest impediment to development in Africa, electricity shortage was top of mind at the Indaba and, alongside, Turboden, we were proud to present workable solutions to this ongoing problem.”
Based on the success of the Indaba, Energas Technologies looks forward to seeing Turboden’s ORC technology used for waste heat recovery in cement and industrial plants, as well as in biomass sectors in neighbouring countries, where alien trees can be used to generate power, and in turn, create employment opportunities for local communities.
“As a well-respected platform for engagement on Africa’s energy challenges, the Africa Energy Indaba presented an ideal and highly productive setting for Energas Technologies to showcase its diverse offering and cement the great potential of Turboden’s ORC turbogenerator technologies in harnessing Africa’s abundant energy resources,” concludes Botha.
Turboden’s state-of-the-art equipment generates heat and power, suitable for distributed generation, from renewable sources and heat recovery in industrial processes, waste incinerators, engines and gas turbines.