Rolling Blackouts to Benefit South Africa

The rolling blackouts in South Africa have roused the country and no doubt damaged the economy. But could they also be putting South Africa on a road to a more sustainable and environmentally acceptable energy infrastructure, which should support long term growth?

In the 1980’s, South Africa invested strongly in coal-fired power stations for cheap electricity. The very low energy cost made alternate energy too expensive. The excess generating capacity lead Eskom (the national, government-owned electricity generator) to focus heavily on promoting electricity as the energy of choice. Its apparently strong position with coal energy meant Eskom did not encourage off grid or alternate energy supplies.

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Then, in 2007, with rapidly growing electricity demand, it became obvious that Eskom was no longer able to supply the demand. Over the years, with the government opposing Eskom’s requests for capital investment, the company had allowed equipment to go unmaintained, reducing technical expertise and placing the logistical outlook for coal on shaky ground.

An enormous public and political outcry forced Eskom and the government to act on a wide front. To start with, they set up a “managed system of load shedding.” In other words, they scheduled rolling blackouts at staggered intervals with fair warning provided in advance to people over such media as the Internet and radio. They also began addressing some of the urgent shortcomings in maintenance and technical expertise.

On the one hand, this reshuffling forced more realistic energy prices and spurred the construction of new coal power stations. On the other hand, it also generated a focus on reducing consumption, promoting off grid supplies, managing consumption, promoting solar heating, and supporting other renewable energy projects.

It is the speedy and aggressive implementation of these and other actions that I believe will move South Africa to an “energy position” it would not have otherwise achieved in the normal run of events.

In one example of progress that’s already coming to fruition, Eskom has swapped 18 million incandescent globes for Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) in the CFL Exchange Programme. This programme has reached over three hundred thousand households, with an energy savings of 900MW.

I will be posting further parts of the “Eskom Story” that will cover other domestic programs, industrial actions, expansion and alternate energy projects.

Sources: Eskom, Carte Blanche, Wikipedia, IOL.

Image credit: thomas_sly via Flickr, under a Creative Commons license.

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