Solutions

Our Service Solutions, Distinguishing Features of Net Zero Africa

Biomass-fired Thermal Energy and/or Steam
Biomass-fired Power
Combined Biomass-fired Thermal Energy and/or Steam and Power
Hybridised Solar and Biomass-fired Power
Transitioning from LPG-LNG-Hydrogen for power generation
All to provide an integrated, tailored and holistic solution to address your company’s specific energy requirement profile

These are underpinned by the refined, unique biomass-to-energy closed combustion process. The particular process and approach employed allows Net Zero Africa to offer clients a significant reduction in energy costs and to supress their ‘carbon footprint’ concerns. At the same time this solution will enhance the profile of a manufacturing company by demonstrating its sensitivity to environmental issues and its contribution to job creation and social challenges while not being directly responsible for additional employment or other demands. These will be addressed through the Net Zero Africa intervention.

The biomass-to-energy solution is ultimately based upon the most powerful force on earth that is the basis of all life – photosynthesis!

Problematic Biomass Control:

The Net Zero Africa biomass-to-energy process can utilise a wide range of biomass that can include municipal biomass waste that typically goes to landfill and emits ‘green house gases’ like methane and carbon dioxide.

The Net Zero Africa process cycle is more than ‘carbon neutral’. There is a nett reduction in GHG emissions from utilising the process. The Net Zero Africa process can also utilise problematic invasive plants, thus assisting in addressing efforts to constrain the march of invasive species and the consequent negative impacts upon biodiversity and the environment – most notably also the provision of fresh water. The energy production process itself does not utilise water and thus spares a scarce resource.

Enriched carbon:

The ‘enriched carbon’ produced through the Net Zero Africa biomass-to-energy process also has a range of benefits. These include soil enhancement in the agricultural sector where it creates the micro-environment for soil bacteria and fertility as well as moisture retention. This clearly has a growing monetary value. It can also be used in several other applications resulting in a range of social, environmental and medical benefits.

The Net Zero Africa energy production process provides a unique set of benefits that include the provision of reliable, time of use’ (baseload always available) renewable energy that is ‘carbon negative’ and which can be used to offset the carbon footprint associated with the transport of manufactured products to market. This is particularly important in value chains that involve the manufacture of products in remote locations far from their markets. It offers significant competitive advantage in this regard.

The Net Zero Africa biomass closed combustion renewable energy generating process provides a wide range of benefits. These range from the environmental benefits associated with the nett negative carbon cycle of the process through the ‘retirement’ of the carbon as ‘enhanced carbon’ for soil enrichment and the obviation of methane gas emissions from landfill sites, to a range of socio-economic benefits.

Job Creation:

The development of each 2 MW biomass closed combustion renewable energy facility (REF) will result in 40 direct, permanent jobs within the REF itself. These jobs will range from fairly basic jobs with relatively low-skill levels, to intermediate skill level technicians and up to highly skilled technicians. They therefore provide the opportunity for upward mobility of workers. In addition, the partners are committed to investment in skills development and enhancing opportunities for women.The number of jobs that are created outside of the plants are potentially far larger in number.

These include up to 100 direct jobs in a typical setting for a 2 MW plant. The management of the biomass supply stream from problematic municipal waste, woody biomass and other sources will be the biggest creator of job opportunities. Many of these would be owner-operated small businesses that harvest and supply biomass of 72 tonnes per day to the 2 MW REF. Larger units require more biomass and generate more job opportunities. This also contributes to the development of entrepreneurship in the community around the REF. In addition, the establishment of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to accept and process waste streams (thus reducing the flow to problematic landfill sites) would create an additional 40-60 permanent jobs within such a facility. The recyclables are separated and sold and the residual waste, typically 70% biomass, is used as fuel in the (REF).

The jobs created within the REF will provide the opportunity for the development of skills in the vital industrial sector. This contributes to the process of re-industrialisation in South Africa. The loss of industrial type skills is a clear brake on attempts to develop the industrial sector in the country and the region.

When the ‘multiplier effect’ is considered, the job creation potential of each 2 MW REF based upon the Net Zero Africa improved closed combustion process can generate up to several hundred jobs.

The Net Zero Africa approach does not only itself contribute to a clean, renewable energy production process, the creation of many permanent jobs, a reduction in the need for harmful landfill sites, the development of industrial type skills, but also contributes to enhanced opportunities for companies using energy from the process. The baseload (‘time of use’) nature of the energy is itself crucial for a range of companies who have low tolerance to intermittent energy supply. Through reducing the ‘carbon footprint’ of goods manufactured using our base load (‘time of use’) energy, it plays an important role in promoting the circular economy approach and providing market access advantages for companies using clean production processes to enter new markets that are increasingly demanding responsible, clean and sustainable production.

Net Zero Africa is a developer of energy projects offering the best predictable and reliable solution for the client. While particularly strong on the biomass-to-energy technology with all of the related benefits, it also advocates hybrid solutions involving biomass and solar energy that provide the ‘best fit’ for the particular situation and profile.

The Net Zero Africa biomass closed combustion renewable energy generation process provides a wide range of benefits.

NET ZERO AFRICA TABLE OF ADVANTAGES

Element	Description of Advantage	Value to company customer
Renewable base-load energy.	Renewable base-load (‘time of use’) energy that does not contribute to GHG emissions.	Regular, reliable supply of “green” energy available on a 24 hr. basis. Enhancement of company profile and image as good global corporate citizens for using renewable energy.
Cost	A very cost competitive source of thermal energy or competitive power that is below the Eskom rate and that for other ‘time of use’ energy sources.	Cost escalations linked to CPI in the SA or the ESKOM rates whichever is the lower. A predictable, competitive price.
‘Carbon footprint’ in the carbon negative energy cycle and improved market access.	Because the energy production process from the B2E process ‘retires’ carbon and obviates methane emissions if utilising biomass diverted from landfill sites or decomposing biomass, it can be used to reduce a company’s overall ‘carbon footprint’ – an important and growing market access issue.	Securing access to good markets. Both carbon footprint reduction and company image enhancement from responsible, low emissions production. Obviate or reduce carbon tax vulnerability.
Employment (jobs)	The Net Zero Africa (NZA) process creates the opportunity for up to 48 permanent, long-term direct jobs within a 2.5 MW plant. The jobs created vary from low level to advanced technical – allowing a range of advancement and growth opportunities for employees. Up to an additional 60-70 jobs are created in the biomass supply chain. These are not jobs that are only created in the construction phase.	Companies signing PPAs are not responsible for the people in these jobs. They carry no risk or responsibility, but they can claim credit for assisting to make the jobs possible through the PPA with Net Zero Africa.
Waste	Through using municipal and other biomass waste, the Net Zero Africa process reduces waste flows to landfills.	Waste management is becoming an increasingly pressing concern and companies can gain profile credit by contributing to the reduction of the waste flows through a PPA or energy supply agreement with NZA.
Other problematic biomass reduction.	The NZA process can utilise many types of problematic biomass which, besides municipal solid waste can include invasive trees that deplete water resources, clog up waterways and have a negative impact on indigenous plant biodiversity.	Like in the case of the contribution to diminishing waste flows by utilising the biomass in municipal waste streams, companies can polish their image and enhance their credential by contributing to the control of invasive trees simply by signing power and energy purchase agreements with NZA. This involves no additional cost, effort or responsibility on the part of the purchasing company.
Water conservation.	The NZA energy production process does not utilise water or external power at all.	This is yet another element that companies who sign energy and power purchase agreements can claim credit for without having to spend extra or do anything about.
Emissions	Besides the fact that the NZA process cycle is ‘carbon negative’, actually retiring carbon from the cycle, it is also clean in terms of more than meeting the most stringent national and international emissions standards.	The companies engaging with agreements with NZA can also reduce the emissions from other energy sources like coal and can take credit locally, nationally and internationally for not contributing to ‘dirty air’.
Sustainability & reliability	The NZA energy production process is very robust and flexible. Typically, 4-6 days per year are required for maintenance work. This can be scheduled for low production periods like the long summer vacation in SA.	Under the NZA process, production can be slowed or ramped up rapidly as required. The system is not subject to complicated processes and provides client companies with reliability and flexibility.
LPG-LNG-Hydrogen	Hydrogen is a zero-emission fuel that can be produced from renewable sources such as wind and solar power. When used in fuel cells, hydrogen produces electricity with only water as a byproduct. Hydrogen can also be used in gas turbines, which are able to operate on hydrogen and do not produce any carbon emissions when combusted.	Stable baseload supply of own energy. Cheaper and low carbon energy source. Transitioning to clean energy by 2030.