A forecasting model for photovoltaic module energy production
- Authors: Swanepoel, Paul
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Photovoltaic power systems -- Forecasting
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:10563 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1420 , Photovoltaic power systems -- Forecasting
- Description: Energy is of concern for governments and economies all over the world. As conventional methods of energy production are facing the prospect of depleting fossil fuel reserves, economies are facing energy risks. With this tension, various threats arise in terms of energy supply security. A shift from intensive fossil fuel consumption to alternative energy consumption combined with the calculated use of fossil fuels needs to be implemented. Using the energy radiated from the sun and converted to electricity through photovoltaic energy conversion is one of the alternative and renewable sources to address the limited fossil fuel dilemma. South Africa receives an abundance of sunlight irradiance, but limited knowledge of the implementation and possible energy yield of photovoltaic energy production in South Africa is available. Photovoltaic energy yield knowledge is vital in applications for farms, rural areas and remote transmitting devices where the construction of electricity grids are not cost effective. In this study various meteorological and energy parameters about photovoltaics were captured in Port Elizabeth (South Africa) and analyzed, with data being recorded every few seconds. A model for mean daily photovoltaic power output was developed and the relationships between the independent variables analyzed. A model was developed that can forecast mean daily photovoltaic power output using only temperature derived variables and time. The mean daily photovoltaic power model can then easily be used to forecast daily photovoltaic energy output using the number of sunlight seconds in a given day.
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- Date Issued: 2011
An evaluation of South Africa's legislation to combat organised crime
- Authors: Nkosi, Zaba Philip
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Criminal law , Legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:10170 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1566 , Criminal law , Legislation -- South Africa
- Description: Organised crime is a global phenomenon. It is a problem in South Africa as it is a problem in most countries. International and regional organisations, in particular, United Nations, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and African Union (AU), have developed legislative measures and laid down minimum standards to assist party and non-party states to combat the scourge. Member countries and signatories to those instruments are ever encouraged to bring about national legislative and regulatory frameworks to criminalise predicate crimes, curb money laundering, confiscate instrumentalities and proceeds of such crimes, and to co-operate amongst themselves in their endeavours to fight the scourge. South Africa is a signatory and state party to the Vienna Convention, the Palermo Convention, African Union conventions, Southern African Development Community protocols, and has embraced Financial Action Task Force Forty Recommendations. As a signatory and a state party to these instruments, South Africa has passed, in its parliament, a vast array of legislative tools aimed at complimenting the criminalisation of organised crime related conduct (thus extending range of predicate crimes, and has also put in place preventative measures to be taken by financial, non-financial and professional institutions against money laundering practices, in order to deny organised criminals of illicit proceeds and a further use of property as an instrument of crime. The legislative framework is also aimed to foster international co-operation in the form of mutual assistance, extradition and enforcement of foreign judgements and sentences. There is a public perception, though, that crime pays in South Africa. The general public perception is that crime pays because the laws of the country always lag behind the ingenuity of organised criminals who, it is believed, are always a step or two ahead in better organisation of their nefarious activities and in the use of sophisticated methods of execution to achieve their goals. The objective of this research is to evaluate existing South African laws intended to deal with organised crime with relevant international instruments in order to establish whether the laws are adequate and are being implemented effectively to fight the scourge. The hypothesis of this research project is that South Africa has adequate laws (compliance); however, the problem lies in their implementation (enforcement). To obtain the necessary information to achieve the said objectives, the views made by various writers on organised crime were considered. The legislation currently in place to combat organised crime was identified and measured against aforementioned instruments in order to establish whether they do achieve the minimum standards set for the fight against organised crime. The comparison was done following the perspectives contained in these instruments in chapter form. In this regard, over-achievements as well as under-achievements were highlighted. For an example, article 6 of the Palermo convention instructs state parties to include as predicate offences all serious crime, punishable by maximum deprivation of liberty of at least 4 years or more, for money laundering. The Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), on the other hand, contains no list of specific predicate offences, but makes an open-ended reference to the „proceeds of unlawful activities‟. It is, therefore, all-encompassing. Another example can be found in the South African definition of corruption. The South African statutory definition penalises corruption „in the widest sense and in all its forms, whereas that in the Palermo Convention is limited or restricted, as it does not instruct for the criminalisation of corruption involving foreign public officials or international civil servants. The evaluation of existing South African laws shows that South Africa has adequate laws to fight organised crime. There is, however, a room for improvement in their implementation, particularly in the prosecution of organised crimes. The South African government is urged to make available adequate financial resources to enable prosecutors to carry out their functions effectively in the fight against the scourge.
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- Date Issued: 2011