Renewable Energy 2015

If everything is renewable then we all eat the same food, we all drink the same water, we all breathe the same air, we are all made with the same stuff, and for all intents and purposes we are all the same. I mean we are 99% the same, but until this century we have focussed on our differences.

In 2015 let us start focussing on the 99% that is the same. Let's start helping each other, liking each other, trusting each other, and looking for the good in each other. Even when bad things happen.

Happy new year 2015.

Cape Times Letter: 22nd December 2014: Make A Difference

I refer to my letter on November 6 in the Cape Times: "Delivery of power solution needed, but not at huge cost and long waiting period".

Many people disbelieve what I am saying, that it is possible for millions of homeowners and small business owners to work together in groups called embedded microgrids, to create baseload electricity for the grid in the 21st Century.

Well, here is one of the word's biggest companies, Alstom, saying the same thing:

http://microgridknowledge.com/a-constellation-of-microgrids/

It's time for the general public to believe that we can make a difference and perhaps next year we will start powering the South African electricity grid and helping Eskom and the Department of Energy with the massive task they have to kick-start the South African economy.

My Power Station - Embedded Generation

Dear all

Many people have disbelieved my writings over the past few years. Well here's one of the word's biggest energy companies, Alstom, saying the same thing!

http://microgridknowledge.com/a-constellation-of-microgrids/

I've been writing about Embedded Micro-grids for some time and renamed my company My Power Station a few years ago. Here is an example of a recent article that appeared in our local Cape Times newspaper in Cape Town: http://mypowerstation-sa.blogspot.com/2014/12/delivery-of-power-solution-needed-but.html

Regards

David

Become a Power Station

7,843 people have signed a petition to stop poaching.

Only 226 people have signed a petition asking the South African government to Level the playing fields in the electricity sector. This will decrease our cost whilst improving our economy.

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/South_African_Government_Level_the_Playing_fields_in_the_Electricity_Industry/?miJGmbb

If we have enough electricity, we'll have enough jobs, and people won't need to poach!!

Load Shedding and Power Failures effecting you? Please sign this petition

To my friends:

I just signed this petition -- please will you join me?

South African Government: Level the Playing fields in the Electricity Industry:

To: South African Government

The petition is really important and could use our help. Click here to find out more and sign:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/South_African_Government_Level_the_Playing_fields_in_the_Electricity_Industry/?miJGmbb

Thanks so much,
David

Eskom's 400 Nkandlas

Dear all

Letter in 4th April 2014 Cape Times.

Regards

David

Dear Editor

I've been wondering what all the fuss is about re our president's chateau? After all it is "only" R250 million. But our two new power stations, Kusile and Medupi were quoted at R79 billion each, and are currently R50 billion over budget each. R100 billion is 400 Nkandlas!

And Eskom have said that these new power stations won't even include the environmental requirements as per their Environmental Impact Assessments. So the costs are even higher. And South African's have already paid for this electricity with higher electricity prices, and therefore every other price increase in South Africa over the past 6 years! Everything we do depends on electricity. If electricity prices go up then so do water, transport, food, inflation; everything!

According to Eskom's Fact Sheet on Medupi published in 2010, the first 800 MW should have been online in June 2012, with units coming on stream at 8 month intervals. This means that 2,400 MW should already be on-stream and we should be half way at Medupi. 2.4 GW is about 6% of South Africa's current electricity capacity, therefore Medupi should grow SA's GDP by 6%. This equates to R210 billion; and assuming Kusile was also on target, with its first unit coming on stream at the end of 2013, we could assume the additional GDP would equate to R280 billion! Our economy needs to grow faster to create jobs. With 8.5 million employed people in South Africa this R280 billion of additional turnover might already equate to an additional 680,000 permanent jobs.

South Africa is growing slowly because our government cannot deliver on its electricity promises, and it has cleverly diverted the public's attention away from 400 Nkandlas, to one particular Nkandla. A modern economy relies on electricity to grow. If this money had been spent on people power, i.e. on decentralised renewable energy grids backed up with micro-hydro, localised battery and sewerage to gas systems, local coal power stations, local water supply and purification, about 2 million houses would already be being made into power stations thus freeing up this electricity to be used for industry, thus growing the economy even faster, with at least 35,000 people employed in the alternative energy system build, which would last at least another 20 years. So about 715,000 more people would already have jobs in this alternative scenario.

Why hasn't the public protector investigated this waste of public resources? And why isn't alternative people power really being investigated? We have 1 month till our democratic elections. Who can answer these questions? Which party truly stands with the people, with a decentralised people powered electricity system powering South Africa?

Yours faithfully,

David Lipschitz

We have the power

Dear all

Letter in 2 October 2014 Cape Times.

Regards

David

Dear Editor

Your editorials 

​"Global warning" and "Climate crunch" (September 30) 

refer.

In February 2009, I attended a keynote address at a 

​co

nference in the US where the late Dr Hermann Scheer of the German 

​go

vernment, and the father of Feed

​-​

In

​-​

Tariffs in Germany, said that no government has ever changed anything technologically, of its own accord: "Which technological revolution happened because of a global treaty? None."

He was referring to all the Conference of Parties (COP) annual conferences, global climate change talks, global inter-government climate related treaties, etc

​etera​

. COP20 happens this year. How much has changed in 20 years?

People are marching all over the world demanding that governments change.

But there is a much easier way, which doesn't damage property, and which doesn't threaten society due to these mass demonstrations: 

​we c

onsumers must change our buying habits and only buy from organisations which are clean and "green", which care about the environment, which offer recycling services, which don't take shortcuts in their interaction with nature, which sustains us all, and which make their own clean electricity, or which buy green electricity.

And if there is nothing to buy, we consumers must just stop buying and make alternative arrangements

​ -​

 for example

​,​

 doing that age old thing of working with our neighbours and/or communities to make or grow what we need.

This simple change will dramatically change the way consumers interact with our suppliers; and the way that suppliers interact with us customers

​. A

nd when big business goes to government and says

​,​

 "

​W​

e need this law changed to allow us to fit into this new way of thinking (paradigm)", then governments will change.

Yours faithfully,

David Lipschitz