Point is, we do not know if there is capacity on the grid wherever the connections need to happen, transmission as well as distribution grids. This is especially so for Utility scale systems.
A BESS system somewhere on the distribution grid should not be a problem. Hopefully the capacity was taken into consideration when this was done. Not to speak of all the proposed wheeling that would soon be happening…
Groetnis
I’m looking at small scale opportunities (residential and small business) so they use far less and could feed in 5-20 units per day… that will help locally.
One issue that is puzzling to me (likely no maintenance) is the ~40-50% of installed capacity that is on the grid overall. So in the past there was capacity on Transmission and Distribution grids for all the Installed capacity. Yes, most of Generation was in Eastern Transvaal and not in Northern Cape, hence limited transmission capacity here.
But heck man, what happened to the bulk capacity on the Distribution grid? maintenance and failed infra?
NoMoreGridGroetnis
Again, from 00:00 Thursday morning until 00:00 Saturday
8h of which 4h are Office + Business hours
'+ 6h of which 3h are Office + Business Hours
'+ 10h of which 6h is Business Hours
= again 24h out of 72h, 1/3rd, a whole day, of LS.
Of which 13h out of 24h hours Office/Business hours.
And that is at Stage 6 … no Stage 4 … no, Stage 6?
OK!!! Saturday the whole day is at Stage 6, let’s go with that one.
Not to remind myself, diesel and petrol have just gone up quite a bit for running the gennies in businesses.
Our Spar close by, can hear that monster gennie run in the distance at night for the fridges/coolers when the center is closed for business.
The economic strain must be enormous! Not to mention the strain on the grid/water/sewage infrastructures.
Quite a disappointment after we had that respite in LS a while back.
Same. Waterstone Village is about 1km from me. It has a big Diesel generator at the back of the building, in the parking garage. I can hear it from my house, especially at night. I can only imagine how the people in Schonenberg Estate must feel (right behind, in direct line of… hearing?).
My favorite reporter from *WATT the F@k
They did say that some of the load-shedding was to replenish the reserves, which implies that they did dig into the reserves a little beforehand. That may have been for the BRICS thing… and even if it was, it’s not too surprising. We tend to do that sort of thing for important stuff, like the soccer world cup, Easter church services, and I seem to recall that Muslims also asked government for some load shedding relief during the last Eid al-Adha.
Of course, some of us (probably rightly so) feel a little distrustful of an alliance that includes Russia, and China (to a lesser extent), which is probably the real outrage generator in this event.
Not for me … ANC, first/foremost/front center has left a very foul taste in my mouth since ±2000.
I just focus on that … will not try and explain, or give reasons to myself, why I need to “feel better” by trying to see good in anything they touch. Makes me feel like a traitor, an “ANC voter”. 
China/Russia, vultures seeing another failing African state, ready to “step in” … the door held wide pen for them.
… I’m heading to the growing bonfire with my flaming torch and pitchforks. There is NOTHING the ANC can say that can make me change my mind.
Fixing things, now that will make me consider putting the torch out … consistently building SA back up, I will consider putting the pitchforks away.
… dang, I’ll even then vote for them. 
Soos hippoeyes se, be thankful for stage 6, it means we are improving things. Fok ne, what will be said when we inevitable hit stage 8 and higher, it’s now better than ever….
Or another quip was, the economy is outgrowing our generation capacity, my fok mabuza…. CancER
Groetnis
Here I’m actually in agreement with something @Village_Idiot said earlier: If the load shedding is actually caused by maintenance… then yes, I’m all for delayed gratification, some hardship now to make things better later. Not all factors contributing to a low EAF are bad.
Thing is, I cannot opine on whether the present state is really good. They did schedule maintenance for September, and they stuck to the schedule. So 6MW is out for scheduled maintenance, and that is apparently higher than average. Mooi so Eskom. But then, you also have a huge amount of unscheduled outages, en dis nie so mooi nie. Is this improving? I don’t know. I’d have to do the research, and I lack the time.
Shall I call BS on that it’s a good thing… yes let me call BS
Was the same people used to do said maintenance, yes. Was same quality workmanship involved, yes since its same people. Have they delayed maintenance and run em hard, yes. How many more yesses do you need?
Are the same criminals involved, yes again, and the same staff who would be criminals altho roaming freely and bribing everybody, yes still there. The same incompetence in managing coal, the same sub par coal with steel and rocks thrown in busy destroying the insides of the mills and boilers, yes.
The same issues like the collapsed chimneys that shut 2 units down, the same coal dust from them boilers that are piling up around some boilers because those conveyers are not maintained or repaired, yes.
There is politicking and benefiting around every corner, and now I am being a realist. None of the above issues are being addressed, it’s just spin while them pockets gets lined. My opinion 4 sure, mara fok dis n tragedy. Everything we touch turns to 
even the tax money.
Groetnis4sure
Sarel, what you said, this popped to mind … "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results” – Albert Einstein.
We really seem to have that going on here … maintenance, what maintenance, there is a lot of talk, big numbers, yet the EAF is not substantiating any of that at all, year on year.
De Ruyter said same … he could not even get it right.
Does the good that they are doing now make up for all the bad that was done earlier? Of course not. And South Africans are going to punish them at the ballot box. Almost certainly.
But is maintenance a good thing, even if it means stage 6? Yes. Yes it is. Would have been better if we didn’t have to do that, but if I have to choose stage 4 without maintenance vs stage 6 with maintenance, I’ll take the latter.
Will I feel the same way if we reach stage 8? Probably not. Thing is, and this has been tickling me lately: There’s research to suggests that much as we think we’re being reasonable about anything… most of us (me included) react emotionally first, and THEN we find ways to justify it. Ask me this question again when we hit stage 8, and I’m going to be as emotional and upset as the next guy. Not the best place to make rational decisions… but oh so unavoidable!
My take … I got emotional and upset in 2008. Today I’m WAY past that.
I like to think I’m realistic now, “kan die kaf nou makliker vd koring skei” (can split the chaff easier from the corn), seeing as emotions are over, not even upset anymore as it is such a cluster …k already, with no end in sight.
Voters talking … we are looking at coalition Gov … so far we know THAT is a long stretch. Will see in 2/3/5 years. I’m not placing any bets.
And then we STILL have the Unions to contend with, the vast criminal syndicates. We don’t have the police, investigators or the courts to deal with all that. Got that from a retired legal mind. The legal side is so badly understaffed/undertrained, the length it takes to properly prosecute anyone.
We need a charismatic benevolent dictator as a strong leader …no one is in sight yet, cause too many old people in charge, keeps them out.
I’m not negative … I just don’t see a way out of this that can work with what we are left with.
Yeah, me neither, but perhaps my relative optimism (or lack of sufficient pessimism) is a result of staying in the faith of my father and grandfather, who were after all farmers. Perhaps, we’ve survived enough droughts 
I’m the reverse. The more emotional I get, the more I become aware that selection bias and old prejudices kick in. Which is why I try to lean the other way. The trouble is, I am also aware that the leaning is artificial… deliberately rebelling against emotions.
So yeah guys, do not mistake my apparent optimism for naivety. I’m just trying to put the best spin on what is clearly not in a good way.
Suggestion … try not to “spin” anything to “feel better” … an emotion…
Look at the facts, and realize you don’t have to be pessimistic, just a realist.
Being a realist can open more doors to finding solutions.
Problems are opportunities dressed in overalls. … we just need to look at it realistically.
Roger that…
Nope, disagree. All those that are dependent on grants and all them rotten apples in all them SoE’s and all them voters dependent on those, and there are very many millions that bank on YOUR TAX Randelas, nope they won’t.
I will remain steadfast, past behaviour is the only and very best prediction of future behaviour. Like Maggy said, it’s only a problem when they run out of other’s money to paraphrase.
Groetnis
I doubt a few blue pieces of paper per month is really enough to avoid the beating that is coming. I think an even larger percentage of voters will simply not vote (that has been a growing trend over the years), and some are going to vote for the red berets.
When I say “punish”, I also don’t mean they will necessarily lose. I mean they are going to chew their fingernails as they inch towards (and barely past) 50%. That is my prediction anyway. But what do I know
And hence, I’m postulating more people will abstain from voting, because that’s what past behaviour shows.
One man’s realist is another man’s pessimist. A realist is only concerned with the present. To say anything about the future, you either have hope, or you don’t.
I have hope … a LOT of it. SA can do this, we are a nation that just needs to get really gatvol.
Let me demonstrate …
I quote the part that is the actual problem …
How do you solve that? Installing the meters may, MAY, stop the theft, but the people still need the power?
Radical idea … free electricity to X income group, IF SA can pull together, as one nation under the right leadership maybe?
Radical, but positive future plan, instead of dishing out cents on the rand for votes. Create opportunities, together.
Then we have this also taking place at the same time …
The part we need to pick up there …
Again, deep-seated very expensive problems to solve … lack of maintenance. The world has this problem BTW. How do we fix it?
Again, SA is pulling as one nation … start with removing Jhb politicking, and get the job done.
BUT, as I said, infrastructure lack of maintenance and upkeep, is also Western problem … so it needs attention. Not just EVs. 
And here …
The parts we need to focus on …
Community, when CoCT can get the police matter sorted, and take charge of our own policing matters, Cele is an idiot, and too old, then communities can get to pulling together to protect their suburbs …
There is a future, there is hope … but today, I have to be realistic. We have serious problems EVERYWHERE on every level of society and infrastructure … I HOPE we can pull together, once we are realistic enough to see it all with no “shades of grey”.
See it for what it is, realistically, today, that we can become optimistic and build a new future.
Nough said.
But but but we (they) already have that, that is the current plan… no?
Since when? And how or should that be hau 
Groetnis