Re: A Load of Manure

My impression from surfing the internet is that the microgeneration of
electricity using mini wind turbines and photovoltaic cells is
generally far
from being cost effective at present prices. The use of solar panels
to
heat water appears to be more viable, as does the use of ground source
heat
pumps for space heating.
---------------------
We've been suffering massive powercuts lasting several hours over the
past few weeks. The underlying reason, it appears, is political. In
order to 'save money', the head of the state power structure delayed
the building of a new nuclear power station, despite the evident and
consistent increase in consumption that could be seen to lead to
undersupply now some ten years ago - he was awarded a R5,000,000
kickback, sorry, bonus, for his efforts.

The result of the powercuts has been to loose as yet uncounted millions
in many businesses in the Cape. I know many people who have lost a lot
of money because they have to employ and pay for people to sit idle
whilst their powertools, shop-lights and so forth don't work. There has
been a lot of spoilage of fresh goods. Bacause of the traffic lights
not working there have been many traffic jams causing people to be
several hours late for work - again, who knows what this has all cost.

If there had been microgeneration then the electricty itself might have
been more expensive, but the overall cost to the economy less during
this period. You can't buy a diesel generator in South Africa, despite
the cost of them having tripled in the past couple of months.

The recent South African invention of much cheaper solar panels
(cheaper to fit, lighter and with higher power output) has great
promise, though they'll only be mass-producing them in a year's time.

For heating water, I'd have thought that direct solar heating would
have to be more efficient - how can it ever be more efficient to create
electricity and then turn that back into heat rather than just
exposing the water directly to the sun? A solar powered pump might well
make the direct solar heating of water work better.

The wind turbines depend on the ambient wind levels - something that is
unlikely ever to be a problem in Cape Town, unless early damage of the
units is the concern!

.

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