First load shedding of 2015 begins

[Mr_B]

Who could have guessed... first working week of 2015 and already the loadshedding starts!

Clearly Eskom is in crisis mode! :evil:

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/First-load ... s-20150109" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[zepplin]

Wait until Monday Mr B..............

[Cleaner]

Yep - Power is out in Northgate Jhb

[Mud Dog]

.... and I'm ready for them! Announcement was made on local radio this morning. I just have some additional wiring to run but can manage without that for the time being. What a blessing we have in solar (PV) panels and LED lighting!

[ChrisF]

now let's PRAY these blithering idiots manage to get it right to do load shedding of Parliament DURING the February opening ....

[zepplin]

now let's PRAY these blithering idiots manage to get it right to do load shedding of Parliament DURING the February opening ....

If ONLY........................might just go set up camp outside to watch the show.........sommer tent & braai on pavement.

[Mud Dog]

“I told Eskom to take a hike”

Antoinette Slabbert

About three years ago former SABC television technical director Chris Prins moved to his 25ha property near Langebaan on the Cape West Coast.

There were no buildings on the property and Prins started making enquiries about a connection to the Eskom grid before he started building his new house.

The connection fee of R27 000 and monthly fixed fee of R1 000 thereafter sounded a bit steep. Usage would be charged at about R1/kWh.

Prins then embarked on a journey that now has him smiling when the rest of the country bears the brunt of load shedding.

He didn’t know anything about the subject, but started researching renewable energy. “At first I considered wind power, because we have a lot on wind on the West Coast. Friends told me to speak to farmers in Langkloof who had tried it. I made a few phone calls and they told me the bearings of those turbines last hardly two years.

“I'm no mechanic, so I changed my focus to solar power,” he explains.

He learnt that one needs solar panels, batteries, an inverter and a controller. The sizes and cost of solar panels differ and there are big quality variations among batteries, he says.

After six months’ research he settled for two 12 litre gas geysers for the two bathrooms, one 8 litre gas geyser for the kitchen and solar panels and batteries to power the rest of the house.

He now uses about R1 000 worth of gas in five months.

“My initial investment in solar power was R90 000, but I quickly added to the battery capacity and in the end spent R120 000.” That excludes the costs for the gas geysers and stove.

The system consists of 15 solar panels of 210W each and 18 batteries delivering a total of 48V (220V after being inverted). He also added a 4kW diesel generator for support when the sun doesn’t shine for two consecutive days.

“I run it for about an hour to recharge the batteries and then I have enough power for a whole day.” The generator runs on about 1 litre of diesel per hour.

With this system he is independent of any power supplier. His two fridge/freezers run all the time, as does the 370W borehole pump 200m from the house. His 20 000 litre water tanks supply enough water for the house. He watches television, uses hair dryers and vacuum cleaners as in any other household.

“When we have guests we ask them not to use hair dryers before 9:00 when the sun is shining. They can really tap the batteries.”

Prins does, however, not have a washing machine but rather drops off his washing at the local laundry. “I would have been able to run a washing machine, but would have to do it between 11:00 and 14:00 when the sun is at its best.”

He has a few olive trees and sheep and plans to grow vegetables in tunnels when he retires. His electricity system will support that adequately.

While hail is rare on the West Coast, Prins admits that they have had some hail. The stones were small and did not damage the panels. “Apart from that, the birds sometimes leave their droppings on the panels. It does not affect the efficiency of the system and you just get onto the roof once a year and clean it with a squeegee.”

He has recovered the R120 000 in three years, which means his electricity is free of charge thereafter. (Neighbours pay Eskom an average of R3 500 –R4 000 per month).

After seven-and-a-half years he has to replace the batteries and after 12 years the panels. He has taken that into account and has made provision for that amount, including escalation.

Prins appointed one of the bigger market players to install his solar system. “These days there are many companies who jumped onto the bandwagon. Rather use one of the bigger, well-established companies.”

He advises consumers to get quotes from at least four different suppliers. “They have to come to your premises to assess your specific needs and look at the local conditions. The panels have to face north-east.”

And be sure to get good quality batteries. “Google them. There are batteries and batteries. Ask about the number of cycles before the batteries are depleted. The higher the number, the better.”

How does being independent from the grid make him feel? “It’s so nice. Sometimes I watch television and see the calls to switch off non-essential appliances and preserve electricity. Then I just laugh. It does not affect me.”

[Mud Dog]

SA on the brink of a national black-out – Eskom CEO

Antoinette Slabbert

Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona on Monday told stakeholders that one unexpected event at any of its power stations can push the country to the total failure of the national electricity system that may take weeks to resolve.

Eskom previously said it may take two weeks to restart the electricity system, should a national black-out occur.

Matona also said load shedding can be expected from next week, according to Christo van der Rheede, CEO of the Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut who attended the meeting.

In reaction, Professor Raymond Parsons from the North West University Business School said whether Eskom can keep the lights on in the period ahead will be critical for the country’s economic prospects in 2015.

“Business people need the assurance, not only that production will not be again seriously disrupted as industry and commerce reopen this month after the holidays, but also for investors who need to have certainty if they are to commit themselves to the SA economy in the long term.’

The two-hour high level meeting on Monday afternoon was attended by about 100 representatives fom business, several consultancy firms and organised agriculture, said Henk van de Graaf, assistant executive manager of agricultural body TLU SA who was in attendance. Apart from Matona, the meeting was also addressed by Eskom chair Zola Tsotsi and attended by members of the board and the whole Eskom executive.

The media was not invited.

Matona repeated his earlier statements that Eskom is not in a crisis, because the organisation is functional but in the next breath he said we are facing a national emergency, Van der Rheede says. “How can you say the organisation is not in a crisis, but you cannot supply your product?” he asks.

“Basically it seems they are all on their knees every evening, praying that there is enough electricity,” Van der Rheede says.

Matona told the delegates that the diesel budget is depleted and Eskom is hoping for money from government “but they are not collecting [from] their municipal debtors,” says Van der Rheede.

He says it is the same government that is in charge of the non-paying municipalities and asks when this government is going to clamp down on them.

Van de Graaf said according to a calendar shown to delegates power failures [are possible] from middle January, the whole of February, March and April.

“We are concerned, because [for] farmers who rely on irrigation for growing cash crops, especially vegetables … the whole cold chain is dependent on electricity and if it cannot be preserved, the consumer will be affected.”

Van de Graaf also questioned why farmers who do not pay their full Eskom account are being disconnected, but there are no consequences for municipalities that fail to pay. He says Eskom representatives could not give a clear answer.

“We told them, whatever the name of your customer, you have to collect [from] your debtors.”

Matona told the meeting that Eskom’s interim profit of R9.3 billion will be wiped out in the second half and a mere R500 million profit is being projected for FY2014/15.

“I got the impression Eskom was giving us the facts as they are, and that we appreciate,” Van de Graaf said.

Parsons said the prolonged uncertainty around the energy outlook in SA is beginning to have a corrosive effect on investor confidence and the overall situation at the beginning of 2015 needs to be addressed at the highest level.

He called on the 'war room' on Eskom, created by the Cabinet last month to manage the Eskom emergency, to issue a statement on what remedial steps are being taken to rectify the short-term situation, to stabilise Eskom finances and to limit the damage which expectations of further power failures will do to business confidence.

“Already the SACCI Business Confidence Index for December 2014 released last week showed a sharp drop largely attributable to business concerns around the impact of power supply problems and load-shedding on the economy in the recent past,” Pasons said.

In its system bulletin sent out on Monday, Eskom forecast the following supply and demand for the week:

Screen+Shot+2015-01-13+at+12.09.25+AM.jpg (49.26 KiB) Viewed 1653 times

[Mr_B]

Bit of a wake-up call read...

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/11 ... m-ceo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Think it's time to implement some form of backup power... be it solar or generator! Just don't buy a diesel gene... the way things are going Eskom is going to deplete the entire countries diesel supply!

[Mud Dog]

That's the exact same article that I posted above Bretton.

[Mr_B]

That's the exact same article that I posted above Bretton.

Lol... was in a bit of a hurry... didn't check who had posted what... serves me right!