Help Eskom and help yourself

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It seems the whole of Cape Town was affected by the recent load shedding a few weeks ago when Eskom’s coal reserves were soaked by unusually long and heavy rains. Our office didn’t have power for most of the morning, which made me realise how reliant on electricity we all are (and the need for solar panels on our office roof!) But what other options does our country have, which is so heavily reliant on coal? And what can you as an individual do? Robert Fischer gives us some advice and looks at the short and long tem options. Continue reading →

Meeting the need: the supply side of the equation

I hope you have enjoyed reading the fact sheets from the Smart Electricity Report. This series of Fact Files has shown that South Africa doesn’t need as much investment in old-style electricity generation technology as the government is planning to build. With good energy efficiency and conservation measures, and installing renewable energy, the country’s energy needs can be met.

Today we present the last fact sheet which looks at why a decentralised energy mix is a viable and preferable alternative.
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How much electricity do we really need?

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Today we share with you the fifth Fact Sheet from the Smart Electricity Report. This Fact Sheet asks whether our forecasted electricity demand has been overestimated and takes a look at how much electricity we really need. Continue reading →

The true cost of electricity: counting the hidden costs

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Did you know that the amount you and I pay for electricity does not represent its actual cost? There are many hidden costs to our electricity because the negative cosequences for our carbon intensive power is not included in the final bill. The Fourth Fact Sheet from the Smart Electricity Planning report investigates the true cost of our power further.
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Women, power and leveraging change

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We believe that two powerful ways to bring about positive change in South Africa are to give women access to energy and teach them about energy conservation and efficiency measures. Read more about it in the Third Fact Sheet from the Smart Electricity Planning Report. Continue reading →