Electricity Price increases or Load Shedding?

 As seen in my Facebook memories from 18th June 2015:-

"On the radio this morning, Redi Hlabi on 567 Cape Talk asking the question: do you want an electricity price increase or load shedding?

"The answer is neither. We've already had a 200% increase in seven years to pay for electricity that Eskom can't provide. How can a further increase provide more electricity?

"Also ESKOM have told us that the money is to pay for diesel. And we are still years behind on the new build program and maintenance program. Therefore this additional money will not reduce load shedding.

"What wasn't discussed is the huge pollution that burning diesel does and its attack on our environment, besides burning diesel's attack on burning money, which isn't in our pockets anymore."

Africa for those who have Ubuntu in veins. David Lipschitz letter to the Cape Times published Thu 23 Jun 2016

I read of riots. I read posts on Facebook from my friends who see darkness and not light.

"South Africa is ruined" is the refrain. And in these same people I see "armchair activists", apathetic people who will pick up a pen, but not get out into the streets and make a difference. These armchair activists are a pathetic (apathetic) sight! There are lots of good people around. I have been traveling with them in Uber and in minibus taxis for the past week.

I have so much confidence in them that I am selling my car and going private.

Getting off public transport and going private? The wrong way around? Nope: Uber is run and managed and governed privately, and is regulated privately. The driver and the passenger rate and comment on each other.

Minibus taxis are private. They are "a law unto themselves". They "own" the road. And soon they will also have their own app. And be twice as strong as they are now.

Africans, and those born here, have Ubuntu running in our veins. We want the very best for each other. We love and are compassionate no matter what names we are called. My black friends are called "k******" whilst I am told "your grandparents should have perished in the Holocaust!".

I too am an "outcast" who "society" is trying to cast away. Why? Because I am free. Just as my African brothers and sisters are truly free, owning land in the Eastern Cape, with fresh mountain water, the highest quality food in the world, and the best outdoor environment known to mankind.

Just ask where they go on holiday and you will know where their hearts and minds are whilst challenged daily in "the city".

Yet the fisherman's net has been cast and the lure of the city awaits. Bright lights and noise attract people seeking "the light".

And "the light" is already in their hearts and minds.

Social Capital in an African Energy System

On Thursday 22nd, I am talking on "Social capital in an African renewable energy system" at the Sub Saharan Power Summit

Good timing due to the university student strikes going on at the moment.

I will be presenting an alternative paradigm where Africa can use its matric students and inherent African knowledge to solve its problems. We don't have enough university students in Africa to follow the European and rest of the world's economic paradigm.

How can we solve this problem?

You might also like to read: 2 billion jobs to disappear by 2030

What I am presenting discusses how we can solve this particular problem.

I don't expect success overnight as I have been discussing this in one form or another since 2009 and my wife and I have been practicing this concept since 1999 when I cancelled all my pension policies, and we decided to look after our own pension and our own interests, which paradoxically require us to work with quite a few other people.

Note my saying: "The rich are rich because they socialise. The poor socialists are poor because they don't socialise." What I'm saying is that the rich talk and share and work together, hence the main reason they are rich. All us poor and middle class people try to do everything ourselves, and we fail, generally.

See my RepairYourWorld BLOG for essays I have written since 2008. Search this page for "retire". Note one of the questions I ask: "Why does there need to be a cost of living?"

Perhaps this is scary for the big monopolies who want us to channel all our money via them. But if 2 billion jobs will disappear in the next 20 years, then the monopolies are out of date and we need a new (old) paradigm.

Thanks for all your ongoing support as I continue down this lonely path.

Please let me know if you'd like me to present to you or your company or your organisation?

Total Cost of Ownership

The average South African's saying: "Renewable Energy is expensive and we'll use candles when there is load shedding".

It's about choices. My neighbour drives an expensive SUV, but has load shedding - and she uses candles.

I drive a Renault Clio and put in a system so that I don't have load shedding and my total cost is less than her SUV.

Which is cheaper?

And read about the Mercedes on my roof.

NEVER look at prices individually. Yes, my electricity was more expensive then my neighbour's, but my TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP and my TOTAL COST OF LIVING was and is less than hers. And I have less stress because I don't have load shedding.

Crank up old machine for new tricks

My first ever Comment on the Insight page of a newspaper.

We are all very excited here in Milnerton. Thank you to everyone for your support and to the Cape Times for publishing my letters over the past 6 years since I started writing about electricity. I feel like I just got my degree in journalism after more than 6,000 hours invested and very many conferences, reports, newspaper articles, magazine articles, discussions, forums, debates, presentations to parliament, meetings with political leaders, my friends at the Milnerton Proper Residents Association and the Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance, etc.

I'd especially like to thank my Facebook community friends for your ongoing support on this particular forum. Being an Active Citizen is often very lonely, but you guys and girls always show up with your "likes" and the many comments, critical sometimes, but always appreciated, and your ongoing support.

Thank you to everyone. You are always in my prayers.

Click on the picture above to read the article.

Electric Cars - Good or Bad for an economy? 2013-10-02

• David Lipschitz

  Nissan Leaf arriving in SA on 16th October. First deliveries in November. We don't know the price yet. Hoping it will be less than R200,000 because then it will be the same price as the Renault Clio 1.4 with a similar spec, but the Leaf will cost 1/3rd re "refuel".
  
  The reason I am posting this here is that we don't need to build more power stations to run electric cars, and we don't need Karoo gas to run them, and they can provide electricity at peak time, and more.

  Like ·  · Unfollow Post · Share · Yesterday at 10:50
  • Julienne Du Toit, Mark Halbert, Ian Campbell-Gillies and 4 otherslike this.
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    Bronwyn Evans I saw revenge of the electric car recently. The Nissan CEO said on the doccie that the Leaf was going to be a lot less that other electric cars. Here's to hoping. I Germany they have solar power parking bays at malls to recharge your vehicle. How cool is that?!

    Yesterday at 11:04 via mobile · Unlike · 2
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    David Lipschitz It makes sense to recharge at malls, which have Time of Use Tariffs. This means that if you park your car at 4pm, you can charge your car at say R1.00 per kWh and you can save money and the centre can make money. Let's say that the centre is paying peak rate at 6pm. They can buy your electricity at R1.30 per kWh and you can make money and they can save money. These prices change during the year, and in Europe they actually change per second.
    
    With electric cars you can set how much you are prepared to sell, eg 30% of your battery capacity, so that you can still get home, etc.

    Yesterday at 11:07 · Like
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    David Lipschitz Note that I have been advised that the car might be more expensive, but in the USA its about R200,000 because of tax benefits, eg the USA doesn't have to import oil that these cars would have used. Even if their government is on annual (unpaid) leave at the moment, they still have some good incentives.
    
    The USA also don't have to send troops to oil rich nations and protect supply routes, so they can afford to give this money back to the consumer. And they don't need additional power stations for supply fuel to these vehicles.
    
    And these cars are cheaper to maintain which means that our balance of payments will improve, our inflation will go down, our costs will go down and we will have more spending money and will feel better. The billions of Rands that leave our country annually to pay for expensive parts and oil will stay in South Africa and our and people and country will be a lot richer.

    Yesterday at 11:11 · Like
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    Arther Dent David sounds like your looking to distribute electric cars and you use money savings as a justification . The introduction of electric cars will increase the demand on fossil fuels globally . The nature of our monetary system is to blame for all environmental degradation . Is this on topic ?

    12 hours ago · Like · 1
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    Clive Dobson www.thevenusproject.com
    

    
    

    
    

    The Venus Project - Beyond Poverty, Politics and War
    

    www.thevenusproject.com
    

    
    

    The Venus Project calls for a redesign of our culture in which war, poverty, hun...See more

    12 hours ago · Like
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    Clive Dobson A solar powered car seating four with a new record range during testing in Australia for the World Solar Challenge - 860 km's ! Seats four adults and has a boot and is roadworthy in the Netherlands...https://www.facebook.com/SolarTeamEindhoven
    

    
    

    Solar Team Eindhoven (STE)

    
    

    Het tonen dat een duurzame toekomst in transport mogelijk is door het winnen van...See more

    Page: 1,814 like this.

    12 hours ago · Like
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    Clive Dobson http://www.solarteameindhoven.nl/en/news
    

    
    

    
    

    Solar Team Eindhoven - Nieuws
    

    www.solarteameindhoven.nl
    

    
    

    After several successful test days at the Cox Peninsula Road, the team and Stell...See more

    12 hours ago · Like
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    Clive Dobson https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/...
    

    
    

    

    
    

    12 hours ago · Like
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    Arther Dent Clive you have to look at a solar car from a holistic energy balance point of view , going all the way back to include the farmers that eat food and produce food for the people who build the solar cars . and of course all the people who do nothing in the physical world but live of investments due to the nature of money ?

    12 hours ago · Like
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    David Lipschitz Arther, regarding your first point. I don't want to distribute these cars, just own them. And how exactly will they use more fossil fuels than is used by refineries in converting oil to petrol and motor oil and also by the mining operations and mines that supply the coal and oil to power these conversion processes and for the petrol/oil usage by the cars themselves?

    11 hours ago · Like
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    Arther Dent Ok lets start here do you use more oil walking to the shop or driving to the shop ?

    8 hours ago · Like
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    Stella Ann Rigby What about the man in Somerset West who makes fuel from recycled plastic? When he is running low, he sends his bakkie out to collect more plastic. Also shreds tyres to use for the same purpose. if I remember correctly, his website is fueltech, but not sure of the extension. He has also supplied middle east countries with desalination plants.

    4 hours ago · Like · 1
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    David Lipschitz Arther: I get it 
    
    Let's start here. If I drive my electric car to the shop, I don't use oil. I've learnt something very important after 6,000 hours and millions spent trying to get people to "walk". It doesn't work. The next best option is to be slightly less idealistic and find a method to get people to the shops without being attacked or rained on and where they can easily carry their shopping home and which doesn't use oil. 

    3 hours ago · Like
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    David Lipschitz Interesting, thanks Stella.http://www.fueltech.co.za/
    

    
    

    
    

    Home
    

    www.fueltech.co.za
    

    
    

    Fuel from Waste

    3 hours ago · Like · Remove Preview
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    Jonathan Deal great post David.

    about an hour ago · Unlike · 1