South Africa’s power utility is clearly struggling to meet demand, with no end in sight. All Eskom seems able to do with monotonous regularity these days is demand more money from its customers. In return, it provides worsening services of which the euphemistically termed ‘load shedding’ is the most obvious sign. Another is its appalling maintenance records. Comments by deputy president that the power crisis is with us for the next two years at least, do nothing to inspire confidence that anything is being done to resolve the crisis.
Eskom has doubled its tariffs since 2009, and is now demanding another 25.3% price hike, apparently to buy electricity from independent producers, and afford diesel for turbines it runs to avoid shortages. That can seem like a cheek, and the money is unlikely to be well spent, since all indications are that the way we get our electricity is about to undergo six radical, permanent changes. One of those changes can be seen in the dramatically dropping cost of solar power. Here, Bloomberg Business writer Tom Randall looks at the other five changes, and what they will mean for consumers, interspersed with what South Africans are saying about Eskom on Twitter. – Marika Sboros
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Eskom has doubled its tariffs since 2009, and is now demanding another 25.3% price hike, apparently to buy electricity from independent producers, and afford diesel for turbines it runs to avoid shortages. That can seem like a cheek, and the money is unlikely to be well spent, since all indications are that the way we get our electricity is about to undergo six radical, permanent changes. One of those changes can be seen in the dramatically dropping cost of solar power. Here, Bloomberg Business writer Tom Randall looks at the other five changes, and what they will mean for consumers, interspersed with what South Africans are saying about Eskom on Twitter. – Marika Sboros
Read more....
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