Rolling Blackouts to Benefit South Africa

Dave Harcourt — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:41:54 +0000

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.

Green Options » load shedding

Rolling Blackouts to Benefit South Africa