Energy Management

February 22, 2008, 15:30
Eskom said it wanted the energy regulator to let it put up prices more than the 14.2% tariff hike it was granted last year, citing escalating coal prices as it battles a nationwide power crisis.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) said it would consider protests if electricity prices go up again, potentially exacerbating a crisis that has disrupted mining and fanned investor worries over the country’s economy.

The Reserve Bank declined comment on Eskom's request, but has said excessive tariff increases will add to inflationary pressure, already high because of rising food and fuel prices.

Eskom, which generates most of its electricity from coal, said it wanted tariffs hiked even more than the 18.7% it had initially requested last year but which was rejected by the regulator.

"Market forces have moved materially, especially the price of coal, and there has to be a pass through on primary energy costs," Eskom Financial Director Bongani Nqwababa said. "The tariff increase request will be much higher than when we made the application for an 18.7% increase."

The 14.2% tariff increase is for Eskom's 2008/09 financial year, which runs from April to end-March 2009. Nqwababa said Eskom hoped to meet the National Energy Regulator (NERSA) within the next two weeks on the review.

"We cannot say that we will not consider it. We will look at the application they (Eskom) present," Brian Sechotlho, who heads NERSA's electricity pricing and tariffs department said.

Eskom has said the current tariff hike would make it hard for the utility to pay for coal, maintain and expand its power generation capacity to meet demand, and it meant the power firm would have to borrow more

Energy Management

I am in the process of developing an energy management system for a developer who has been told that he will not get the power he has requested for his new 55 unit development. They originally applied for 8KW but have been told to expect 400kw bulk supply. So we have tackled the problem from each individual unit to provide a total solution, Herewith our recommendations.
Firstly we calculated the connected load, the estimated load and then our manged load we are able to achieve a 43% reduction on the connected load by implementing an intelligent load management system within each unit. By making use of the Clipsal C Bus energy management and home automation system we are load shedding, controlling all appliances, geysers, public lighting, internal lighting and occupancy. The results on paper are amazing, so far all practical tests have proven that what has been calculated can be achieved and even improved on provided we educate the consumer and corporate body and incentivize the account payer by drastically reducing their electricity costs per month. By integrating scenes, occupancy sensors, and load shedding all controlled via a top quality touch screen. I have done research on all solar systems as well as inverters and battery back ups, none of these systems can compare with this high end cutting edge technolgy both from a cost implication ease of use and flexibility, granted it is not free energy and it is still dependant on ESKOm but it is, as far as I am concerned a winner

Solar Energy

Solar energy, the concept has been around for years, original units only able to produce a small amount of "trickle charge" for cell phones and battery operated gate motors etc, however this field is fast developing with some homes now relying completely on solar power, initial set up costs are sometime prohibitive but with recent increases in copper cable and Utility connection fees the gap is closing fast. The payback period for a Solar installation is also drastically improving, if we ever get it right to reverse feed energy back onto the grid for credits then as in Germany for example, then there are no more issues as far as I am concerned. However, realistically we can escape the grid immediately by combining solar, wind and liquid energy (fuel). This is a fantastic position to be in and in South Africa, what a win, as the new song goes, "braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies and solar power"

Skills Shortage

So here we are, the qualified technicians have already flown away, there is a skills shortage worldwide and how is the South African Government dealing with this, they are closing down technical training colleges and stuffing up really good facilities, so my son who has a matric and who wishes to follow an electrical career is finding it difficult to find an educational facility. Roodepoort, west admitted him this year but have said not to "bother" applying for his second trimester as they were closing the electrical department down and relocating it to Dobsinville. My son reckons his current educators are not even educated themselves , he is teaching his class maths as the appointed lecturer has no idea what he is doing, I myself have tried communicating with the Dean ("idiot" in charge") who is a Black female (high score for PDI) and no where near competent enough to run a check out at the local Spar, let alone run an educational facility, so off I went to Pretoria Technicon to see if we could transfer, I did thorough research on the website which indicated and discussed course content and so on, I should have realised it was another AWA situation when the telephone numbers listed on the website were no longer operational hence my physical presence in this once proud institution over a 100 years old and now really looking the part, not to mention that engineering studies had closed and had been relocated to Mamalodie and Arcadia. So I left Pretoria with an angry question, why are our black community so hell bent on ruining and systematically destroying everything. Why are the black students tolerating this disgusting level of education, can the students of today not see that they are literally wasting their time and that this all leads to the destruction of a system that requires educated people to manage it, ESKOM cannot maintain itself because of the SKILLS SHORTAGE and our government is closing technical colleges down or allowing uneducated lecturers to educate 'HELLO" this is not a downward slide, this is an avalanche wake up people, wake up parents, wake up leaders, wake up students

Alternative Energy

So you dream about getting off the grid, going green, reducing your carbon footprint, being self sufficient, well the time is right. These dreams are attainable and justified, I cannot wait to get to this level of self sufficiency and what better climate to experiment with solar for, energy and heating. In our country it is shameful and embarrassing when our ministers actually stand up and make national speeches at the level of a 10 year old with 10 year old rational and logic, "take a shower instead of a shallow bath" what is it about our leaders that prevents them from planning for tomorrow. This is what I see from our leaders, 40% of their energy based on "this problem is a direct result of the apartheid era". 50% about what I can do for myself today and if we are really lucky 10% on what can I do about tomorrow and what can I do for others. So go home go to sleep early, take a shower eat raw fresh vegetables etc, just fobbing off real issues and comfortable doing it. Is this culture of expecting free handouts and taking no responsibility ever going to change? Is this culture of greed and separation between the haves and have nots, ever going to change, Has anything improved in Africa in the past 10 to 15 years (besides the Bokke)?

The chicken run

As you should know when leaving a country to live elsewhere you divorce your selves from the problems facing the country you are leaving and adopt the problems of the country you are going to and from what I have been hearing on the energy front, the UK is also facing problems with power and gas shortages with their energy capacity rapidly nearing Point zero and huge expected gas and power price increases that marginal households will not be able to purchase gas for heating and cooking by year end, what option do you have in the UK when heating or the lack of it will kill you. Drugs in Aus and UK public schools a huge issue and drug related crimes the world over becoming more violent and on the increase. The World it seems is collapsing as we know it and it is not restricted to South Africa, on

another front the Chinese are buying up assets in Zimbabwe anticipating the death of Mogabi and his regime and an economy that is desperate to explode “upwards” Nostrodamis predicted a couple of centuries ago that in Africa the black man would die out from genocide and disease and that the “little yellow men” would take over central Africa and that it would become “the bread basket of the world”

Back to Electricity and energy “or the lack of it”

So right now the world is dying and we are killing it this is an opportunity and major wake up call for all of us and guess what these electrical rations also affect our leaders, what better way to get the message across, these chaps must now realize that they are not Gods, nor are they untouchables they are just like the rest of us with different and common responsibilities

Home Automation

Well the focus is moving and we are finding that our new generation of power starved clientell are interested in the energy saving characteristics of a top end home automation installation. Typically complete shutdown of everything that does not have to be switched on when the family has left the house to go to work, school or a vacation, At the push of the "Away Mode Button" the smart home disconnects all the required circuitry from the supply, arms the security and CCTV systems and instructs the irrigation system not to start up in rainy conditions. The "Welcome" button re activates all the circuitry as you walk through the front door. Dimming all the lights to 90% of maximum will afford more energy savings and will improve lamp life hopefully preventing the homeowner from being pressured into horrible flourescent lights. As Christopher Hart said last night, we must not accept power outages as normal and we must not accept ESKOM and Governments failure to provide and deliver, I come back again to the "ELECTRICITY FOR ALL CAMPAIGN" this government has failed its people and failed on its promises to deliver better living conditions for all