South Africa ranked as number 2 back in 2018 is actually a scary prospect knowing that they have people on the inside blocking any progress.
Today we had another scheduled load shedding and according to the table we have another one planned again tomorrow. Many may find this insane that in 2022 a country can be bought to it's knees through lack of utilities. This is Africa mind you so this has to be expected for all the wrong reasons. Only if you have lived in Africa will you understand what games are being played.
The answers are obvious for any normal country and that is to switch over to green energy being wind, solar, water and geo thermal. This could be done over a number of years weaning yourself away from the coal guzzling power stations that are currently in existence.
Last week we had announcements that local businesses and residential properties switching over to solar would face penalties and possibly license fees. The Government is sending out mixed messages by threatening those that choose the green route instead of encouraging this action.
What is clear is the ones who are currently paying for electricity are subsidising the majority that aren't and why the electricity tariffs are increasing at 15% year on year. You take away those that are paying who have now had enough and switched to solar and what do you have left? The Government now has to create another revenue stream to make up for what they have been skimming off the top for decades.
The First World countries are all for renewable energy, but Africa will mainly be against it and here is why. The cost of setting up a fossil fuel power plant are fairly inexpensive, but are expensive to run. The expensive to run part is the key to this whole thing as that is where corruption comes in. This is their bread and butter and what they have been stealing from as they can manipulate the costs.
Setting up a renewable energy source is very costly but once completed is cheap to run in comparison as you are using the sun, wind and water which is free. What and where are you going to steal from as justifying a cost on the suns rays would be ludicrous. Almost 99% of all renewable energy is being driven through the private sector as Governments are only now slowly coming round to the inevitable.
Here are some scary facts about Africa in general and one can make up their mind from these figures.
Africa has roughly 1/6th of the world population and generates less than 5% of the worlds supply of electricity. South Africa and the countries north of the Sahara account for 80% of Africa's electricity. Over 600 million African's have no access to any type of electricity and over 800 million rely on the basics like fire wood. Granted that these are mainly in the rural parts without any basic utilities on show.
The recent Paris agreement for renewable energies has made many sit up and why we in South Africa are having more serious electricity problems currently. There has been sabotage at play as there is a lucrative contract for electricity supply ships to be stationed in the various ports around the country. Just think how bad this is having people trying to send your country into darkness for their own personal gain? Can you imagine how much that diesel contract would be worth supplying those generators/turbines over the next 20 years?
In the last 5 years we have seen many projects start taking shape with Solar farms increasing. The problem is obtaining a license to supply energy back to the grid. As an investor this is a prime opportunity yet the Governments are dragging their feet and it is going to be the ones who are losing out are the ones blocking progress.
To give you an idea what everyone is up against of the mentality by those who are in power. A close friend of mine was working for an American charity which I say American as businesses in the States give funding and receive tax breaks for certain projects. This project was one of those fixing and repairing roads in South Africa. Who wouldn't like their roads fixed for free?
The Mayor of one of the major metropolitan areas was all for it when he heard it was for free. The next words threw everyone as he said how is he going to eat. This meaning a bribe and not only for him but his subordinates were also included. The price of the repair to a single pot hole went up by over 300% and the funding wisely walked away. That is Africa in a nut shell and unless you control the development and costing you will be taken to the cleaners.
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How very true, truer than true live in Africa to understand the dynamics is well said!
Great informational chunks to digest here @cryptoandcoffee I don't normally get into political reading, 'gatvol' of the whole affair already!
@tipu curate
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I hate politics but unfortunately the rest of the world doesn't see Africa like we all know for what it is. I wonder what percentage of the payers will be off the grid within the next 3 years?
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We looked into going solar in 1995, it was hellish expensive and ESKOM turned around and said you have a connection to the home, you will pay irrespective!
Resident in the village put up wind turbine, lasted about ten years when I noticed it came down never to go up again, wonder what legal problems he ran into!
Mixed messages from this government (including previous one) have always been the need for greed, at least previous we still had a lot that worked, not ideal circumstances catering to minority population.
You raised a really valid point in the post. It is not about technical capacity or ability when it comes to renewable energy. The final decision is all about governance. The problem lies in our mindset and the governance mechanism we have. The global south has the same problem everywhere.
The issue of electricity is really a problem in Africa and even my country Nigeria is also facing electricity problems where bulls are even much to pay for what we aren't using.
The problems the continent of Africa is faced with it come in different phases and levels.It is a really long vicious cycle, words cannot do enough justice .