We just heard that the UK is entering a "double dip recession." The recession that most of the Western World is in is not going to stop. It cannot end while our focus is on the tertiary services sector, whilst our secondary productive sector's resources are outsourced to the cheapest bidder, partly because of minimum wages, and partly because our capitalist leaders and government think they can make more money and profits by this outsourcing. It is narrow minded, myopic thinking and it is treason!
Part of our productive resources are our power stations. South Africa will spend about R2 trillion over the next 20 years on new power stations. Most of this money will leave our country; it will create relatively few permanent jobs; it will ruin our environment; our balance of payments will continue to skyrocket; and it won't help the recession to end; because we will be beholden to our major creditors, China and Germany. China is growing at 10% whilst the rest of the world fiddles the books to show growth, but if the trend shows that unemployment is increasing, how can this be called growth?
There is an alternative. It is called Renewable Energy. South Africa is uniquely placed in Africa, which will be the world's biggest market in 20 years time, to take advantage of the amazing growth that will take place here. We have the knowledge, resources and capital. There are even foreign companies who are trying to build factories here, but the government has been saying no for years.
Please note that this letter is not an attack on China. It just shows what a nation can achieve if they all work together to make themselves wealthier and healthier. Over a decade of 10%+ growth. The fastest growing renewable energy industry in the world. The world's second biggest economy. The world's wealthiest nation. Isn't it time for South Africa to make its true mark on the world stage?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Prepaid Meters - Can you "reverse feed", ie feed into the grid?
As a result of an article in the Ghana News, I thought I should write a response which is also applicable in South Africa.
Buying prepaid meters might be short sighted as once the people of Ghana decide to install electrical renewable energy, they may find that their meters go forwards (instead of backwards) when they are reverse feeding (ie supplying) the grid with electricity. The ECG should check if their prepaid meters allow tamper proof bidirectional electricity and that they measure both consumption and production. In South Africa, almost all people with prepaid meters are prevented from supplying the grid with electricity and in this writer's opinion, this is short sighted.
Buying prepaid meters might be short sighted as once the people of Ghana decide to install electrical renewable energy, they may find that their meters go forwards (instead of backwards) when they are reverse feeding (ie supplying) the grid with electricity. The ECG should check if their prepaid meters allow tamper proof bidirectional electricity and that they measure both consumption and production. In South Africa, almost all people with prepaid meters are prevented from supplying the grid with electricity and in this writer's opinion, this is short sighted.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Increase your wealth - reduce your cost of living - be environmentally friendly
Dear all
After 3 years of attempting to show people that climate change is a reality, I have adopted the term, Environmental Destruction.
There is absolutely no doubt that we are destroying the very systems that support human life on earth. This no matter whether we use terms like Global Warming, Global Weirding or Climate Change.
Yet we forget that there are alternatives that are cheaper, more planet friendly and easy (!) to implement.
We must always remember that we have been lent the earth by our children, not given it by our parents. We need to safeguard this earth for our children.
When I tell people I can help them reduce their carbon footprint by 10% per annum, they don't believe me. We can actually dramatically reduce our cost of living and increase our wealth if us consumers decide to work together to make our world a better place. We think we can't do anything, but that is because our politicians and big business have told us that we need to be separate to be free. But they collude and work together and why shouldn't we?
There is no further time to waste.
If 100 people in a particular area need solar water heaters or energy efficient fridges or need to do grocery shopping and they do it together, they will automatically get better service and better prices. Why do we think we have to do things alone to remain free?
Let's avoid further environmental destruction.
More at MyPowerStation.biz.
Regards
David
After 3 years of attempting to show people that climate change is a reality, I have adopted the term, Environmental Destruction.
There is absolutely no doubt that we are destroying the very systems that support human life on earth. This no matter whether we use terms like Global Warming, Global Weirding or Climate Change.
Yet we forget that there are alternatives that are cheaper, more planet friendly and easy (!) to implement.
We must always remember that we have been lent the earth by our children, not given it by our parents. We need to safeguard this earth for our children.
When I tell people I can help them reduce their carbon footprint by 10% per annum, they don't believe me. We can actually dramatically reduce our cost of living and increase our wealth if us consumers decide to work together to make our world a better place. We think we can't do anything, but that is because our politicians and big business have told us that we need to be separate to be free. But they collude and work together and why shouldn't we?
There is no further time to waste.
If 100 people in a particular area need solar water heaters or energy efficient fridges or need to do grocery shopping and they do it together, they will automatically get better service and better prices. Why do we think we have to do things alone to remain free?
Let's avoid further environmental destruction.
More at MyPowerStation.biz.
Regards
David
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