Working closely with partners in industry, government and communities, the Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) at the Central University of Technology (CUT) in South Africa is using its social and technological innovations to help solve societal problems in Africa and beyond. The CRPM, which specialises in additive manufacturing – better known as 3D printing – has made a name for itself in the field of medical product development, designing and manufacturing a range of medical devices, including pre-operative models of a patient’s skull to help surgeons plan their…
Read MoreDay: Sep 23, 2019
The world’s biggest offshore wind farm will be as cheap as coal
The world’s biggest offshore wind park planned off the coast of England will probably in the next decade generate power cheaper than by burning coal. A number of offshore wind projects won contracts to sell power at guaranteed prices in a UK auction Friday. The price of 39.65 pounds per megawatt-hour ($49.70) was 31% below the level in a similar auction two years ago. The plunge highlights how offshore wind, which only a few years ago was a niche technology more expensive than nuclear reactors, is changing the economics of…
Read MoreIndigenous cosmetic brands are taking off in SA
Looking pretty is serious business, with the sector continuing to register good growth. Image: Waldo Swiegers, Bloomberg A struggling economy doesn’t necessarily mean makeup products will be left on the store shelf, but those shopping for cosmetics are increasingly looking for more affordable and organic brands. According to market research firm Euromonitor International, although consumers are cutting back on non-essential goods, beauty and personal care products continue to register good growth, despite the challenges in the market. “On the demand side, a strong personal grooming trend where greater importance was attached…
Read MoreSA ready for its first electric vehicle road trip
CAPE TOWN – GENERATION.e is set to roll out South Africa’s first electric vehicle (EV) road trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town next month. Chief executive Ben Pullen said the trip would involve establishing charging stations at eight locations. Some of the charging stations will be at Travel Inn at Shell Ultra City, Kroonstad; de Stijl Gariep Hotel, Gariep Dam; Wolwefontein Hotel, Wolwefontein; and The Vineyard, Newlands, Cape Town. The charging stations will be powered by ACDC Dynamics. Mario Maio, chief executive at ACDC Dynamics said the network would lay the…
Read MorePlanned new coal plants seen as threat to 26 ‘frontier countries’
JOHANNESBURG – Plans for new coal plants threaten to push 26 “frontier countries”, including South Africa, into a cycle of coal-dependency, according to the latest Global Coal Exit List (GCEL), released yesterday.More than 200 financial institutions are now registered users of the database and investors representing close to $10 trillion (R146.6trln) in assets are using one or more of the GCEL’s criteria to screen coal companies in their portfolios. The index is compiled by Germany’s non-profit Urgewald and 30 other non-government organisations. GCEL said 26 commercial banks had committed to…
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