PHD Powerhouse is a proud exhibitor at the leading and longest-running power and electricity exhibition and conference for utilities, IPPS, large energy users, the government and the energy industry. 

Seminar Highlights 

• How large energy users and commerce at large can shrink their power costs  
• How big data and analytics can help you save on energy costs 

• Smart grids, revenue protection, smart metering and billing 
• How to avoid decommissioning and improve the competitiveness of coal generation 
• How to support growth and skills development for engineers 
• How to transition from an SME into an EPC contractor 
• The potential for AI, VR, drones and machine-learning in energy 

•  Preferred business models for investing in renewable energy options 
• Installing renewables 

Gentalks – Day One and Day Two 

• Introducing efficiencies and reducing costs in your power plant 
• Businesses looking for the latest tech in power generation  

Smart Electricity Seminar – Day One and Day Two 

• Discover the potential of Smart Grid technologies to accelerate sustainable access to electricity 

Solar Techtalks – Day One and Day Two 

• Learning about future-shaping technologies such as photovoltaics, solar thermal technologies, solar plants, grid infrastructure and solutions for the integration of renewable energy 

Install Renewables – Day One and Day Two 

• With the rapidly growing C & I industry and the increase of the renewable heat incentive installations of solar thermal hot water systems, the industry will need skilled electrical contractors 
• For skilled plumbers or renewable energy installers, training will prove to be a smart investment. 

Some Visitor Attractions include 

The main aim of Power & Electricity World Africa is to play host to many visitor attractions, bringing to life the learning from the conference and seminars through a sequence of challenging installations and live collaborating launches, showcases and talks.  

These are some of the draw-cards: 

• Women in Energy Seminar 
• Future Tech Zone 
• Start-Up Pavilion: 

The Start-Up Pavilion is new for 2019 with the explosion of new and innovative businesses within the energy sector.  

• EPC University 

• Skills Development Seminar 
• Energy for Commerce Seminar 
• Connection Wall 

As commerce increasingly experiences erratic power supply and tariff hikes, more and larger energy users are looking at alternative sources and the viability of building their own power. 

Power and Electricity World Africa 2019 presents one of the most forward-thinking and biggest opportunities on the continent of Africa. 

According to statistics business owners seem to be rather reluctant to use the implementation of integrated facility management to reduce energy costs, even though these systems have the potential to save money in the long term. 

Smart building management systems control, monitor and optimise building services to improve energy efficiency on so many levels. 

A good example is the monitoring that adjusts lighting according to the brightness or darkness of a room; specific focus is placed on energy-guzzling systems such as air conditioning units and lights. 

The benefits are many: 

There is more to energy savings than just saving money. South Africa wastes between 25% to 40% of energy. This is more than 25% compared to other countries. Building management systems will not only reduce this figure but it will also assist in creating a healthier and safer working environment. 

There are many advantages to working in an environment that is healthy and safe: 

• Lower carbon footprint 
• Customers and investors will find this more appealing when investing or using your services or products 

There are two primary areas that building management systems encounter regarding resistance: 

• The first is the resistance from the owners of the buildings who are strapped for cash and managing their buildings on a tight budget 

Contracts that are in place by tenants will also resist extra costs being implemented to cover these expenses 

• The second issue would include service providers of single building units (stand–alone buildings) who are not up to speed on the more modern methods of saving energy and don’t think that this will improve the way they are already running their buildings 

Because it takes from between 18 months to three years to recover these costs, it is wise to choose a system that makes financial sense and a system that has all the necessary functions to integrate with your existing systems. 

The benefits of building management systems are quite evident and best practices of integrating management systems are being used more and more by businesses both large and small.

Power outage? Never a problem if you are prepared! 

When the power goes out and you are left in the dark, you tend to think of the obvious things that you could do to get up and running once again, such as lighting candles and using gas to make coffee and tea. 

But have you really given it some careful thought? 2019 could be the year when we are faced with even more power challenges than in the past decade or so. Gone are the days when we had power at our disposal 24/7, 365 days a year. We need to make new and different plans – plans that will keep our lives running no matter what the utility decides to do. 

UPS South Africa is certainly one way of thinking smart and ensuring that you never lose valuable information, even though the run time from these devices is not for long periods.  

The beauty of having a UPS system installed is that it will protect your electronics when there are sudden cuts and surges that could damage your electrics – these could include items such as PCs as well as expensive equipment used for production purposes and other items such as fridges and television sets. 

Ensure you are never left in the dark ever again, and that you protect your devices regardless of what the power decides to do. 

The best way on how to prepare for power outages is to have the upper hand, to do your homework and to ensure you are always prepared. 

Power outages, dips and hikes? Never a problem when you are equipped to deal with all power issues with UPS South Africa. 

What are you doing this Earth Hour which falls on the 30th March, 2019? Enthusiasts from right across the globe is invited to switch off their lights for just an hour from 20.30 to 21.30.  

This is a symbolic action that unites millions of people throughout the world to celebrate Earth Hour, which is a great opportunity to reflect on our environmental impact and renew our commitment to taking care of the world in which we live. 

This initiative has been introduced by the World-Wide Fund for Nature and is aimed at preventing and stopping the degradation of the natural environment of the Earth, encouraging us to build a future where people can live harmoniously alongside nature. 

It is important to remain conscious of the effect of our actions have and what they can do to the environment. Together we need to turn our inspiration of one hour into actions taken every hour of every day, all year round.  

There is a special power in the bold simplicity that Earth Hour brings to the table – a moment shared in darkness together, although as South Africans, we can all attest to the darkness during our load shedding episodes we so often experience that causes chaos in our lives on many levels. 

The beauty of Earth Hour is that everyone tries and gets involved, looking at ways to switch to a more sustainable existence far beyond Earth Hour. It is imperative that everyone aims towards becoming more energy efficient and try to invest in clean, renewable energy solutions. 

Take baby steps and start small – switch off the lights when you leave a room and unplug those silent energy-guzzlers that sap your energy such as television sets and phone chargers when they are not being used. Ensure all the globes in your home are energy-efficient and go one step further by installing solar panels and solar-heating geysers. 

More ways to save energy include making use of public transport, carpooling and walking and cycling wherever possible to cut back on the fumes that are emitted into the atmosphere. 

It is high time to make a difference by changing the way we think and ways to change our habits – especially how we use energy in a far more sustainable way, reaching beyond Earth Hour. 

If we were prepared for every eventuality in life, everything would always run as smoothly as a well-oiled machine. Thankfully, we can prepare for certain things in life, and Eskom’s load shedding is certainly one of these. 

There are certain clever ways on how to prepare for Eskom’s Load Shedding. Let common sense prevail and the rest will fall neatly into place. 

Summer is here and with it a bountiful of fresh fruit and vegetables. Let this be the first step in the right direction of eating well. We don’t need to eat foods that are cooked and fried when the weather heats up. We are blessed with a magnificent climate and an array of fresh fruit and vegetables, so why not revamp your eating style and opt for fresh instead; no cooking is necessary and hardly any preparation is required. 

Summer is also the time of year when it gets dark late, so no lights are not necessary until really late in the day. When it gets dark, simply switch on the LED lights that you have invested in and you can read to your heart’s content. 

Another hack for those smart enough is to load a couple of movies and series onto your PC, and provided the battery lasts for a couple of hours, you can watch these to while away the hours. 

Plug your cell phone into the ports of your PC and charge your phone to ensure you stay connected come what may. 

It is time to think of smart ways to make your life more pleasant – these are only some of the clever ways on how to prepare for Eskom’s load shedding. Think smart, think out of the box, and the load shedding will prove to be a minor inconvenience instead of a calamity.