Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Deception, war, ambiguity, monopoly, government, answers.
"To carry out a timely response to warning ... two conditions must be met: we must not only receive warning, but also take the decision to respond. The first task has long been recognised; it calls for strong intelligence capabilities. It is the second task that has been neglected. We cannot expect that the enemy, if he plans to attack, will furnish warning that is unambiguous. Military history reminds us that we ought to expect a massive and skillful effort at deception." Captain W Weinberger, US Secretary of Defence, addressing Congress, 1982.
This is how planet earth and mother nature are at the moment. Loads of warnings, shots across the bow, earthquakes destroying nuclear reactors, fracking gasses entering drinking water, etc. We are getting the warnings, but we are ignoring them. By we, I mean governments.
And all the solutions are at hand, but they take money away from monopolies (governments) and put the money in the hands of local communities.
This is how planet earth and mother nature are at the moment. Loads of warnings, shots across the bow, earthquakes destroying nuclear reactors, fracking gasses entering drinking water, etc. We are getting the warnings, but we are ignoring them. By we, I mean governments.
And all the solutions are at hand, but they take money away from monopolies (governments) and put the money in the hands of local communities.
Friday, September 23, 2011
The Crash of September 2011
Who needs to be bailed out anyway?
The usual rhetoric on the radio from the managing director of the EU Central Bank. "Banks balance sheets are weak and they need to be bailed out so that they can lend to business which keeps the economy going." The only true bit here is that business keeps the economy going.
The USA, with its QE1 and QE2 bailout programs has pumped TRILLIONS ($1.7 per annum) into banks over the past 3 years. Most of that money went into the stock market pushing up market prices. Now the market crashes because there is no QE3 which means the US$ increases in value and becomes worth something again.
So now the banks have weak balance sheets again because their stock market investments have just crashed.
If the USA and EUCB really want to help, they should lend the money that they want to give to banks directly to the people who create the jobs and make the world a better place - sustainably.
The usual rhetoric on the radio from the managing director of the EU Central Bank. "Banks balance sheets are weak and they need to be bailed out so that they can lend to business which keeps the economy going." The only true bit here is that business keeps the economy going.
The USA, with its QE1 and QE2 bailout programs has pumped TRILLIONS ($1.7 per annum) into banks over the past 3 years. Most of that money went into the stock market pushing up market prices. Now the market crashes because there is no QE3 which means the US$ increases in value and becomes worth something again.
So now the banks have weak balance sheets again because their stock market investments have just crashed.
If the USA and EUCB really want to help, they should lend the money that they want to give to banks directly to the people who create the jobs and make the world a better place - sustainably.
Friday, August 26, 2011
38 Days till the end of the world?
This letter appeared in the Cape Times at the end of July 2011.
People continuously ask "when is the world going to end?". I now have the definitive answer.
South Africa has on average 38 days of above ground coal stocks at any time. A coal strike puts this in perspective.
At any time, South Africans have about 38 days till the world as we know it ends!
If there is coal disruption for any reason, most of our power stations will stop producing electricity.
If we have no electricity, we have no water as water is pumped using electricity.
If we have no electricity, we have no transport as petrol and diesel are pumped using electricity.
If we have no electricity, we have no food as food is transported using petrol and diesel and refrigerated using electricity.
If we have no electricity, we have no money as our ATM's and banks run using electricity.
If we have no electricity, we will have no jobs and no livelihood.
If we have no electricity, then our backup diesel generators will quickly run out of diesel, perhaps giving us a few days more than 38 days.
If we have no electricity, then 60% of Cape Town City's income is gone. Why put so many of your income eggs in one basket?
Isn't it about time that we are allowed to take responsibility for our own electricity provision, after all there will be nothing without it?
Investments in energy efficiency renewable energy will seem cheap in comparison to having no world at all.
People continuously ask "when is the world going to end?". I now have the definitive answer.
South Africa has on average 38 days of above ground coal stocks at any time. A coal strike puts this in perspective.
At any time, South Africans have about 38 days till the world as we know it ends!
If there is coal disruption for any reason, most of our power stations will stop producing electricity.
If we have no electricity, we have no water as water is pumped using electricity.
If we have no electricity, we have no transport as petrol and diesel are pumped using electricity.
If we have no electricity, we have no food as food is transported using petrol and diesel and refrigerated using electricity.
If we have no electricity, we have no money as our ATM's and banks run using electricity.
If we have no electricity, we will have no jobs and no livelihood.
If we have no electricity, then our backup diesel generators will quickly run out of diesel, perhaps giving us a few days more than 38 days.
If we have no electricity, then 60% of Cape Town City's income is gone. Why put so many of your income eggs in one basket?
Isn't it about time that we are allowed to take responsibility for our own electricity provision, after all there will be nothing without it?
Investments in energy efficiency renewable energy will seem cheap in comparison to having no world at all.
Grid tie hits parity (same price) with City of Cape Town electricity costs
Much more detail here.
Summary:
Grid Tie Photovoltaic systems have become the same price as electricity prices in the City of Cape Town for homeowners, if one excludes VAT. Email david at mypowerstation.biz for proof. Electricity for a house which uses 1200KWH per month costs R1.13 per kwh excluding VAT. A medium size Photovoltaic (PV) system costs R1.13 per kwh if borrowing costs are 7% and including Operation and Maintenance costs. If a large cash investor who is earning 7% interest takes money out of her bank account and invests it, she would want to earn a return of 7% or more. She can finally do this in South Africa, 3 years before the Renewable Energy Industry expected, mainly because the City of Cape Town has increased electricity prices so much and because the cost of installing Grid Tie PV systems has halved in the past 3 years.
All we need now is for the Business and the Citizens of Cape Town to convince the City to allow Grid Tie Systems that Reverse Feed the Grid and Net Metering to allow one to buy and sell electricity at the same price. None of this needs research or inventing. It is already happening all over the world, but not in South Africa.
Let's work together to make this City "a City that works for all."
Summary:
Grid Tie Photovoltaic systems have become the same price as electricity prices in the City of Cape Town for homeowners, if one excludes VAT. Email david at mypowerstation.biz for proof. Electricity for a house which uses 1200KWH per month costs R1.13 per kwh excluding VAT. A medium size Photovoltaic (PV) system costs R1.13 per kwh if borrowing costs are 7% and including Operation and Maintenance costs. If a large cash investor who is earning 7% interest takes money out of her bank account and invests it, she would want to earn a return of 7% or more. She can finally do this in South Africa, 3 years before the Renewable Energy Industry expected, mainly because the City of Cape Town has increased electricity prices so much and because the cost of installing Grid Tie PV systems has halved in the past 3 years.
All we need now is for the Business and the Citizens of Cape Town to convince the City to allow Grid Tie Systems that Reverse Feed the Grid and Net Metering to allow one to buy and sell electricity at the same price. None of this needs research or inventing. It is already happening all over the world, but not in South Africa.
Let's work together to make this City "a City that works for all."
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