energy - itbusinessdirect

New off-grid and mini-grid technologies to extend energy

December 18, 2019 Dianne Jacobs

Investing in new off-grid and mini-grid technologies to extend energy access across Africa will be instrumental in helping smallholder farmers to meet rising food demand, according to a new report. Africa accounts for just six per cent of the world’s demand, despite hosting 20 per cent of the global population, leaving rural areas relying on manpower for as much as 80 per cent of the energy used in farming. In Energized: Policy innovation to power the transformation of Africa’s agriculture and food system, experts from the Malabo Montpellier Panel highlighted opportunities…

Green Energy: Is it too late to tame Climate Change?

December 5, 2019 Dianne Jacobs

Wind and solar energy have become significant participants in primary energy mix, with the new electric battery storage technology poised to remove the continuity of solar and wind energy to provide uninterrupted day and night, all weather grid supplies. Battery storage combinations of up to 100mw capacities have been achieved. Last month a game-changing solar energy concentration technology was unveiled by Heliogen, a startup company backed by Bill Gates capital. It will concentrate solar energy to a temperature as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius by aligning large mirrors on a…

Koko Energy firm Launches ethanol burners to be refuelled using Smart ATMs

May 29, 2019 Editor

Energy solutions firm Koko Networks has unveiled a two-burner ethanol stove for low-income households as it seeks a piece of the cooking gas business. The specially-designed cookers will retail at Sh7,000 and come with a refillable smart canister with a capacity of 2.3 litres that dock with KOKOpoints, which then dispense fuel they have pre-purchased by topping up their KOKO accounts with M-PESA. They then take their smart canister home to dock into their KOKO Cooker, a modern, high-power 2-burner ethanol stove that delivers affordable cooking energy, safely and conveniently.…

Technology Shapes Future Work

July 21, 2023 Editor

Technology plays a vital role in shaping the work and businesses of the future. Here are several ways in which technology can chart a path for the future: Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Automation and AI technologies are transforming various industries by streamlining processes, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency. Repetitive and mundane tasks can be automated, allowing employees to focus on more complex and creative work. AI can also provide data-driven insights and decision-making support, improving business outcomes. Remote Work and Collaboration Tools: Advances in communication and collaboration technologies enable remote work…

Google, Microsoft, OpenAI Among Tech Firms Seeking AI Regulation on Their Terms

July 5, 2023 Editor

OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman surprised everyone last month when he warned Congress of the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. Suddenly, it looked like tech companies had learned from the problems of social media and wanted to roll out AI differently. “In terms of both potential upsides and downsides, superintelligence will be more powerful than other technologies humanity has had to contend with in the past,” OpenAI execs Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever said. “We can have a dramatically more prosperous future; but we have to manage…

Spyware attacks on organizations in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria increased in Q1 2023

May 19, 2023May 22, 2023 Editor

South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria reported an increase in spyware attacks in Q1 2023 according to Kaspersky. Thin clients are used in corporate networks around the world to set up workspaces at a much lower cost than when using traditional laptop or desktop computers (thick clients). A thin client on a traditional operating system (OS), Linux or Windows-based, could potentially be targeted by different types of attacks, including spyware. A compromised thin client could serve as an entry point to the corporate network, and it could be used to gain…

Venture Vaya Africa, launches an electric taxi service

July 13, 2020May 22, 2023 Dianne Jacobs

Vaya Africa, a ride-hail mobility venture founded by Zimbabwean mogul Strive Masiyiwa, has launched an electric taxi service and charging network in Zimbabwe with plans to expand across the continent.

Venture Vaya Africa, launches an electric taxi service Vaya Africa, a ride-hail mobility venture founded by Zimbabwean mogul Strive Masiyiwa, has launched an electric taxi service and charging network in Zimbabwe with plans to expand across the continent. Vaya Africa, a company registered in Mauritius, responsible for the transport of people and goods in Africa and the generation of adjacent revenues in this sector, launched a new product on the Zimbabwean market. It is the electric vehicle called “Vaya Electric”. The South African headquarters of Vaya Africa has acquired a…

COVID-19 is Transforming E-Commerce Globally

June 4, 2020March 7, 2023 Dianne Jacobs

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Just over 306 million Americans are affected by stay-at-home orders, nearly 95% of the U.S. population. COVID-19 will forever change retailing, and its initial impact on e-Commerce is creating challenges to online selling & service no one imagined in January. The following graphic from COVID-19 Commerce Insight, an Emarsys initiative in cooperation with GoodData show how year-over-year revenue growth comparing the last seven days to the same period last year: Mobile devices are the most popular device for online shopping by a wide margin. 72% of consumers are using mobile…

Kenyan Industries Partner with Distributed Power Africa

February 28, 2020 Dianne Jacobs

Kenyan industries are set to benefit by saving a minimum of 30% on their current cost grid consumption following a partnership between Distributed Power Africa (DPA) and Canadian Solar company. Currently, Kenyan companies lose nearly 10% of their production because of power outages and fluctuations. The deal is expected to help DPA provide top tier PV panels from the company that is estimated to be over 60,000 KuMax and KiKu which would quite easily construct 50 large industrial solar plants. The PV panels will be made available to DPA customers…

Voice App makes life easy for throat cancer patients

January 8, 2020 Dianne Jacobs

Vlastimil Gular’s life took an unwelcome turn a year ago: minor surgery on his vocal cords revealed throat cancer, which led to the loss of his larynx and with it, his voice. But the 51-year-old father of four is still chatting away using his own voice rather than the tinny timbre of a robot, thanks to an innovative app developed by two Czech universities. “I find this very useful,” Gular told AFP, using the app to type in what he wanted to say, in his own voice, via a mobile phone.…