A dark Africa lays ahead.....load shedding

[eccc whippet]

beware....if you have been installing solar power and batteries...make sure these thieves are no selling you stolen batteries.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f8Cv4dyYJo

[eccc whippet]

I have just entered a new world of technology...was tinkering with occupation sensors and home automation...then decided to do a course on alarm systems... cctv and remote viewing apps...man did it open my eyes...the best part is being a certified electrician...i have the correct qualifications to setup up a system in my house which will link my alarm...cctv and house electrics together...to work using the apps and or the remote...one remote... not one for the gate... one for the lights...one for the garage...one for the panic button ...one to arm and disarm the alarm ...you get the idea

 

Smart home automation has been around for longer than i can recall...just not affordable for most of us...the systems available in this day and age are making it more affordable ...in fact all new alarm or cctv system installed today will automatically have the facility to remote control and view.

 

which brings us to a few new challenges...one being reliable power to what wasnt regarded as a critical power requirement in the past...however with the new technology...the router... home network and NVR ...all require a reliable power supply and a reliable adsl/fibre connection.

[scotty]

Major news when it happens in US, same old same old here.

 

NEW YORK - A power outage that gripped New York's Manhattan ended on Saturday after it plunged Broadway theatres into darkness, brought subways to a halt and flicked off billboards in Times Square.

 

https://ewn.co.za/2019/07/14/huge-power-outage-that-plunged-manhattan-into-darkness-ends

[Rocket-Boy]

I have just entered a new world of technology...was tinkering with occupation sensors and home automation...then decided to do a course on alarm systems... cctv and remote viewing apps...man did it open my eyes...the best part is being a certified electrician...i have the correct qualifications to setup up a system in my house which will link my alarm...cctv and house electrics together...to work using the apps and or the remote...one remote... not one for the gate... one for the lights...one for the garage...one for the panic button ...one to arm and disarm the alarm ...you get the idea

 

Smart home automation has been around for longer than i can recall...just not affordable for most of us...the systems available in this day and age are making it more affordable ...in fact all new alarm or cctv system installed today will automatically have the facility to remote control and view.

 

which brings us to a few new challenges...one being reliable power to what wasnt regarded as a critical power requirement in the past...however with the new technology...the router... home network and NVR ...all require a reliable power supply and a reliable adsl/fibre connection.

Look into home assistant (hass.io) its free and super powerful home automation.

[eccc whippet]

Look into home assistant (hass.io) its free and super powerful home automation.

Technology is moving so fast ...but more important ...becoming so user friendly and affordable...even for us old technically challenged ballies.

 

I think back...when i started my business...there wasnt even a cellphone...now i run my entire  business from a cellphone...the older fellas will remember having to go into the bank to deposit cheques...now my phone does everything...i dont even need cash anymore...no pin required if you still use a card to pay for stuff...just tap and go...if you leave your wallet at home...just use your phone to pay using zapper etc...and if nobody takes a card or zapper etc...send cash to your phone go tho an atm...shop etc and get cash using cardless withdrawl.

 

Of all the technology...being able to communicate with family around the world all on one platform...is what i enjoy the most...who knows what we can expect in 5 -10 years time.

[geomark]

Major news when it happens in US, same old same old here.

 

NEW YORK - A power outage that gripped New York's Manhattan ended on Saturday after it plunged Broadway theatres into darkness, brought subways to a halt and flicked off billboards in Times Square.

 

https://ewn.co.za/2019/07/14/huge-power-outage-that-plunged-manhattan-into-darkness-ends

Good chirp from Trevor Noah on this;

 

https://twitter.com/trevornoah/status/1150189491870732288?s=11

[WeekendWarrior80]

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/313931-beware-load-shedding-can-easily-return.html

[eccc whippet]

Some useless information.

 

A comparison between people who do and dont qualify for free electricity (residential tariffs) 

 

If you qualify for free electricity (scale 12)...you get 65 kWh free then with the new price increase (13.07 % effective the 1/07/2019 in Durban) your new rate will increase to R1.11 per kWh 

 

For those who dont qualify for free electricity (scale 3/4/8/9/13)...you can also expect an increase of 13.07 % to R1.71 per kWh 

 

So how does this look when working on 500 kw consumed.

 

500 kw x R1.71 = R 855.00 

 

free 65 kw 500 - 65 = 435 kw x R1.11 = R482.85 

 

Business and general is a little more complicated...some of the tarrifs have been discontinued...

but just to give you an idea the general tariff (scale 10/11) will also get a 13.07 % increase taking it to R2.15 per kWh 

 

500 kw x R 2.15 = R 1075.00 

 

just imagine if you run a business and your bill is around R150 000 per month...this 13.07 % increase is going to hurt.

Edited July 20, 2019 by eccc whippet

[scotty]

Not only workers but now senior management who earn between R1.5 and R3 million a year are threatening to strike. With top heavy Eskom grossly poorly managed and in the red , I wonder what "performance" and "incentive" bonus's they feel they entitled to.

Eskom senior managers have dragged Eskom to the CCMA demanding the same 4.7% increase that the power utility recently granted to middle management. 

 

In spite of the news that Eskom suffered a R20.7 billion loss in the last financial year, Eskom senior managers are hauling the power utility to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) because they received no salary increases and incentive bonuses in the last financial year.

According to City Press, this group of managers consists of between 180 and 200 senior Eskom personnel who earn between R1.5 million and R3 million a year.

They are demanding the same 4.7% increase that the power utility recently granted to middle management.

However, middle management is also not happy with their increase as they were hoping for an increase of 7.5%.

 

According to the publication, the CCMA decided in favour of the workers on a similar matter last year and Eskom had to take the decision on review at the labour court.

The power utility’s wage bill has reportedly been a major contributing factor to their financial woes and it is unclear what effect the increases will have on the power utility if they are pushed through

https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/load-shedding/2163222/looming-eskom-strike-could-result-in-more-load-shedding/

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Not only workers but now senior management who earn between R1.5 and R3 million a year are threatening to strike. With top heavy Eskom grossly poorly managed and in the red , I wonder what "performance" and "incentive" bonus's they feel they entitled to.

Eskom senior managers have dragged Eskom to the CCMA demanding the same 4.7% increase that the power utility recently granted to middle management. 

 

In spite of the news that Eskom suffered a R20.7 billion loss in the last financial year, Eskom senior managers are hauling the power utility to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) because they received no salary increases and incentive bonuses in the last financial year.

According to City Press, this group of managers consists of between 180 and 200 senior Eskom personnel who earn between R1.5 million and R3 million a year.

They are demanding the same 4.7% increase that the power utility recently granted to middle management.

However, middle management is also not happy with their increase as they were hoping for an increase of 7.5%.

 

According to the publication, the CCMA decided in favour of the workers on a similar matter last year and Eskom had to take the decision on review at the labour court.

The power utility’s wage bill has reportedly been a major contributing factor to their financial woes and it is unclear what effect the increases will have on the power utility if they are pushed through

https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/load-shedding/2163222/looming-eskom-strike-could-result-in-more-load-shedding/

 

Flogging a dead donkey........

[Capricorn]

Flogging a dead donkey........

thought the phrase was milking a dry cow.

 

Kidding aside, this bit of legal action has been boiling for a long time now. It's curious that it has been splashed over the front pages now only. It wouldn't surprise me if this is the eskom executive weaponising public opinion against the senior personnel.

What is not stated is that the unions ground&pound eskom into agreeing to a 3-year MYPD-like annual salary increase for staff that fall within the so-called bargaining units. For them the increases are  7.5% (2018), 7% (2019), 7% (2020).

Middle management increases were pegged to a warped version of inflation.

[DJR]

I   recently visited friends in Noordhoek, to see the new house they just completed. They went completely off-grid. Water comes from 3 boreholes, is filtered and cleaned for home use. Borehole pumps run on solar. All rain water is collected in tanks and used for flushing toilets and watering the garden which is planted entirely with indigenous water wise plants that can get by with the absolute minimum.  All grey water is collected and filtered before using it for the garden or flushing toilets. The boreholes are connected to the tanks, and they can be filled from the boreholes at the flick of a tap. All water heating is solar. A roof full of solar panels and a room full of batteries supply all the electricity needed. Underfloor heating is from pellet burning furnaces and the place is insulated to the max. In summer the air conditioning can run on solar as long as it is a bright sunny day. A back up diesel generator is there for "just in case". The total cost? I would guess about 1,5 million? Easily 2 million!? He didn't give me a straight answer! His idea is to convince between 5 and 10 neighbours to form a mini electrical grid with them all going off the national electricity grid and sharing what they produce. Also, to add wind to the mix. The idea is that different households have different consumption patterns and different peak hour needs and that spreading it over 5 to 10 households, would make it better for everyone. It sounded like a way forward for those who can afford it. 

Edited August 5, 2019 by DJR

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

I   recently visited friends in Noordhoek, to see the new house they just completed. They went completely off-grid. Water comes from 3 boreholes, is filtered and cleaned for home use. Borehole pumps run on solar. All rain water is collected in tanks and used for flushing toilets and watering the garden which is planted entirely with indigenous water wise plants that can get by with the absolute minimum.  All grey water is collected and filtered before using it for the garden or flushing toilets. The boreholes are connected to the tanks, and they can be filled from the boreholes at the flick of a tap. All water heating is solar. A roof full of solar panels and a room full of batteries supply all the electricity needed. Underfloor heating is from pellet burning furnaces and the place is insulated to the max. In summer the air conditioning can run on solar as long as it is a bright sunny day. A back up diesel generator is there for "just in case". The total cost? I would guess about 1,5 million? Easily 2 million!? He didn't give me a straight answer! His idea is to convince between 5 and 10 neighbours to form a mini electrical grid with them all going off the national electricity grid and sharing what they produce. Also, to add wind to the mix. The idea is that different households have different consumption patterns and different peak hour needs and that spreading it over 5 to 10 households, would make it better for everyone. It sounded like a way forward for those who can afford it. 

 

Very expensive exercise yes, ROI would take years I imagine

[Capricorn]

I   recently visited friends in Noordhoek, to see the new house they just completed. They went completely off-grid. Water comes from 3 boreholes, is filtered and cleaned for home use. Borehole pumps run on solar. All rain water is collected in tanks and used for flushing toilets and watering the garden which is planted entirely with indigenous water wise plants that can get by with the absolute minimum.  All grey water is collected and filtered before using it for the garden or flushing toilets. The boreholes are connected to the tanks, and they can be filled from the boreholes at the flick of a tap. All water heating is solar. A roof full of solar panels and a room full of batteries supply all the electricity needed. Underfloor heating is from pellet burning furnaces and the place is insulated to the max. In summer the air conditioning can run on solar as long as it is a bright sunny day. A back up diesel generator is there for "just in case". The total cost? I would guess about 1,5 million? Easily 2 million!? He didn't give me a straight answer! His idea is to convince between 5 and 10 neighbours to form a mini electrical grid with them all going off the national electricity grid and sharing what they produce. Also, to add wind to the mix. The idea is that different households have different consumption patterns and different peak hour needs and that spreading it over 5 to 10 households, would make it better for everyone. It sounded like a way forward for those who can afford it. 

 

a grid-scale battery would serve that objective nicely me thinks. But the cost?

i wonder if they can build their own gridscale battery the same way Facebook and google built their own datacenters back in the day using off the shelf components.

[splat]

Very expensive exercise yes, ROI would take years I imagine

 

You don't go 'Green' or 'Off-Grid' to save money...

[DJR]

Very expensive exercise yes, ROI would take years I imagine

 

 

a grid-scale battery would serve that objective nicely me thinks. But the cost?

i wonder if they can build their own gridscale battery the same way Facebook and google built their own datacenters back in the day using off the shelf components.

 

 

You don't go 'Green' or 'Off-Grid' to save money...

I think he decided to do it mainly to show that he could and give both the City of Cape Town and Eskom the middle finger. He certainly didn't worry about ever getting his money back in terms of saving on water and electricity, rather Iooked at whether he would get his money back if he sold the property. He thinks that there are enough people who would be willing to pay to have that independence from power cuts and water shortages and that he will at least break even now. Another round of hassles like we had last year and he recons he could be making a small profit.