Should we give up or can we improve our quality of life?

 George Monbiot in The Guardian

https://www.monbiot.com/2022/04/03/organised-lying/

"Nearly everyone who appears in the media, across almost the entire political spectrum, seems to accept that economic growth can and should continue indefinitely on a finite planet. Almost all believe that we should take action to protect life on Earth only when it is cost-effective. Even then, we should avoid compromising the profits of legacy industries. They appear to believe that something they call “the economy” takes priority over our life support systems.

They further believe that the unhindered acquisition of enormous wealth by a few people is somehow acceptable."

I wrote a book to solve these problems. It is called A User Manual for Life on Earth and can be found here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1029328 and here https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B094W8F28G&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_R8GS3QYNZDGHSG95CZDS and if you are in Cape Town, I can deliver a signed book to you in exchange for a cup of coffee and any questions you might have for the author.

#books #author #saveyourself #savetheplanet #strategy #decentralisation #qualityoflife #costofliving

Private Utilities 5th Newsletter

 Private Utilities. Eskom, the South African utility, led by our esteemed government ministers, has cost the South African economy R40 trillion and that's assuming only 50% of new build would have been delivered since 2006

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-power-station-utility-david-lipschitz/

Eskom Baseline vs Actuals, by David Lipschitz

The underlying values

#economy #utilities #government #strategy #grandstrategy #analysis #projection #history #baseline #actual

Tariff increases will kill incentives to save electricity and water

David Lipschitz Letter to the Cape Times published Mon 8 May 2017 in their Insight Section

THE City of Cape Town has published their draft tariffs for the 2017/18 financial year. Search for "draft electricity consumptive tariffs 2017/18" on the City's web site.

My calculations are based on people living in accommodation valued at more than R1 million. The poor still get their incentives and in fact the poor using more than 350 kWh per month will get up to 23.5% discount of their electricity usage.

And service fees for large users are increasing too, in one case by as much as 120%, so we can all look forward to higher inflation come July when this city, that works for us, makes it more difficult to work with us.

My calculations show that for someone using 600 kWh a month the price increase is 2.8% and someone using 1200 kWh a month the price increase is also 2.8%.

For 600 kWh it changes from R1125 domestic tariff excluding service fee, to R1156 home tariff including the fee, a 2.8% increase.

The 1200 kWh changes from R2493 domestic tariff excluding service fee to R2562 home tariff including the service fee, 2.8% increase.

But 300 kWh changes from R562 to R702, a 25% increase.

And 100 kWh changes from R187 to R400, a 214% increase.

For myself, a few years ago, we were changed from "Lifeline" to "Domestic" and from July this year we will be changed to "Home".

Being incentivised to use less has fallen by the wayside.

Note that the free water allowance is falling away! So if you are using 10 kL a month, and you were paying R66, you will now be paying R98, a 48% increase. Plus the free sewerage component is also falling away, increasing this increase even further.

It seems to me that the financial incentives to save electricity and water will cease on July 1, when these new measures come into play.

At some point, economics says that if you are prepared to pay the price, you can get what you need.

People might choose to buy more water and electricity instead of other luxuries.

And our water crisis will get much worse as people's financial psychological incentive to save is removed.

We might even end up with load shedding again, as people stop worrying about how much electricity they are using and just use as much as they want.

I tend to think that energy efficiency measures will simply go out of the window and people will use as much as they want.

This seems to be the case in my mind, where even though I am a very energy-conscious customer, I just don't see the point of saving electricity and water, when perhaps I can afford to pay the higher rates. There is just no incentive anymore for saving.

The city is putting up their prices. They are telling their customers "if you can afford it, we will supply you; and if you can't afford it, please move to another city".

The free water allowance is falling away, which means that the incentive to do all you can to use less than 6 kL of water a month, and boast about not pay anything, is meaningless.

Grid tie, without batteries, solar electric is already cheaper than City of Cape Town electricity. It could be up to half the price, depending on circumstances. And battery capability is increasing in leaps and bounds and prices are coming down, so we will soon be at grid parity with batteries. Grid parity is where one can make one's own electricity cheaper than one can buy it.

As I've been writing in this newspaper for years, it is time for residents to work together to produce their own electricity and water, at a much cheaper cost than our government can provide it, and in fact sell this cheap electricity and water to the city and to our residential neighbours.

Besides paying or moving, another opportunity is to move into "townships". This way I get a much cheaper house, with all the benefits that come with this, and I can afford to pay for security with the savings I get.

I think we will see enclaves of "rich people" living in the middle of townships, within the next few years. The "poor" won't want to move into "rich" areas, when they see the overtaxed rich, moving to them.

Lastly, existing homeowners who have paid for infrastructure numerous times are in effect subsidising new entrants into the market. New suburbs and new parts of suburbs and densification is happening all over the place. It seems to me that these people are being way undercharged for the services they need.

Lets suppose that a new power station is required for a new suburb.

Why should the entire population be forced to pay for it? And why do new suburbs need external power stations in any case?

• Lipschitz is an energy analyst and owner of My Power Station.

Only by being unified in diversity can we truly be free. Article about BREXIT by David Lipschitz in Cape Times on Friday 1st July 2016

AS USUAL, the naysayers are out in force, telling the world's people that the world is about to disintegrate and we should all start praying and packing up our businesses and lives, heading for the hills.

Brexit, Britain exiting the EU, might not be as bad as some would believe.

We live in an over-centralised world where the people at the centre channel all the energy and funds via themselves, raking off commissions and other monies for themselves. Corruption is rife. Palms are greased. And the money laundering is incredible.

Imagine a world where Britain separates from the EU. And then, imagine that Britain itself "disintegrates" like Czechoslovakia, which become the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Imagine that Britain becomes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - four separate countries.

And then, imagine that these countries disintegrate further and England's counties become countries called Leicestershire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, etc.

Imagine that these "new" "city states" want to work with each other to better each other for the betterment of mankind, not for warlike reasons.

Each "shire" has unique capabilities. Each "shire" has unique inspiration and motivation. Each "shire" can "muster" its people in a unique way to be "better" - "shire" people. More fulfilled. More energetic. More resourceful. More at peace with each other in their own "local communities", connected by the "internet-super-highway" (Jeremy Rifkin).

At the moment, all these "separate" people are lumped together in a community called the EU where everyone is meant to be the same. But difference should be celebrated, not inhibited.

When one looks at nature, one sees millions of colours, millions of smells, millions of shapes. Almost nothing is the same as the next thing. And yet, we humans are all trying to be alike instead of celebrating our humanity by being who we truly are.

Men and women are really different. Blacks and whites have different value to offer society, knowledgeable about different parts of an increasingly complex and diverse world.

Different religions can and should work together for the betterment of all. Different countries and societies have different human capital, different systems that should all contribute to a new "whole." And even West and East have different ways of viewing science, with the West preferring a "proof" approach, and the East preferring an "observation" approach.

We live in a "connected" world where anyone anywhere can "be their own boss", accessing the internet and trading with anyone anywhere on the planet. This "flat" (read Thomas Friedman's book Hot, Flat and Crowded) world makes everyone "appear" to be the same. It appears that we all have the same opportunities. It appears that we all have the same markets. It appears that we all have the same resources.

Yes re opportunities. Yes re markets. No re resources. Small communities of resourceful communities have changed the world, and this is what we need today.

In fact Margaret Mead said "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Nelson Mandela, the Madiba (father) of our modern South Africa, celebrated difference. He intuitively knew that by celebrating the uniqueness that the 11 different "tribes" of South Africa has, and by keeping our languages and cultures separate, that we would "thrive" in this diverse world. Only by being unified in diversity can we truly be free. Many people said that we should have one South Africa with one language. They are wrong!

Single monoculture crops are failures waiting to happen. Whilst planting a single crop might mean a huge profit in the event of everything going well, a "bad" year could spell disaster.

How much better to sow a field with multiple varieties of corn and multiple other crops that co-exist with corn. Any single point of failure is covered by the diversity planted on the field.

Brexit allows us to celebrate difference, whilst being part of a diverse, integrated-whole. We should applaud the people who have taken this painful decision and support the processes that will come out of it.

Has our education system failed us and let to mass overconsumption and pollution?

The educational debate. Someone just asked me to comment on an article about bringing modern education to everyone on the planet via using the internet and home schooling, and this is my response.

Dear Hermann.

An excellent article and thank you for asking me to comment on it.

This article assumes that rural Africans and other Africans without adequate education (definition to be discussed) and also others in the world without access to our historical educational grids, should have access to the same kind of education that we had.

Recently I have been doing a lot of research in "Social Capital" in an African educational system. Last month, I spoke at a conference about this, and next week I am speaking about it at the SAEE (South African Energy Efficiency) conference in Joburg. (See http://mypowerstation-sa.blogspot.co.za/search?q=social+capital)

I don't believe that our earth can continue to sustain the kind of education that we have historically forced on our children. This has led to the mass consumption and pollution that we see today.

Instead, I see that cheap and reliable renewable energy + cheap and reliable internet bandwidth from anywhere on the planet + getting people to want to remain in their communities rather than migrate to the cities (because they can access the cities from their communities) + an educational alternative which encourages rural town development and rural wealth creation by using permaculture principles enhanced into bringing people into the internet and energy internet age, will solve our mass education problems. I see a return to city states, but enhanced to the point where everyone is "rich", ie has access to the kinds of amenities that we have today, ie fresh potable water, hot water, flushing toilets, energy efficient housing and buildings, readily available clothing and quality, organic, food, electricity, the internet, and educational resources that enhance their current lifestyles, rather than trying to make them like us.

In my opinion, our system is failing us, as it moves more and more resources to centrally controlled units (clouds), and instead of making us interdependent, is creating a culture of dependence which is getting worse and worse.

We need to test our assumptions and ensure that we want the best for other people, and not try to make other people like us.

Regards
David.

Eskom and South Africa should take a long hard critical and objective look at itself

I think its time for Eskom to take a long hard look at itself, especially in light of Thulani Sikhulu Gcabashe's goals back in 2000.

Why has it failed in almost everything it set out to do?

Please note that if you post racist insults in reply to this post, I will delete them. Let's be adults here and stop the blame game. What worked? What didn't? Why didn't these goals get achieved? Who stopped them? Why? What / whose interests were served by decisions that were taken or not taken? Why did the government say that it wanted 30% of Electricity Generation to be in private ownership by 2010, and why did Eskom and the Cities prevent it? Where else has this happened, e.g. Italy? Why do governments make policies and strategies that they have no intention of implementing (not just South Africa, but Britain and Italy as well)?

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/black-power-x2013-eskomx2019s-first-black-ceo-speaks-about-how-he-will-lead-the-utility-through-its-transition-2000-10-27/searchString:Eskom+obligation

Sorry if you can't read this article, but here is a summary:

"To continue to be the lowest cost energy producer in the world."

“The line we have taken is that we enjoy an advantageous position that needs to be protected and that is the position of providing the world’s lowest-cost electricity."

“Eskom has afforded the economy some R11-billion in the last five years in terms of the price reduction in real terms.”

"The greatest contribution Eskom can make is keeping the price low and continuing to electrify, thereby bringing more people into the mainstream economy and making impacts in terms of health and education."

International Sales!! "For example, the pebble-bed modular reactor project is part of the diversification plan – Eskom is developing a new generation product which can be sold elsewhere."