Unfortunately the ones who cannot mitigate the cost as eloquently as most of use here can, have done, a vast majority, is going to pay a lot more one day.
Hope the big plans going on would mitigate that, the politics sorted to help it happen faster.
Time will tell.
@plonkster … more panels, the cheaper part, I agree there. But dang man, the panels may be cheap, but the parts to mount them properly, holy moly!
The old news, yeah, the amount of new solar newbies on other site, sjoe. But it has calmed down, waiting for the next bout of LS to hit SA …
I’m not sure this issue is as big as the media makes it out to be. Bear with me.
First, the poorest of the poor are always on a tariff that ensures they don’t bear the brunt of the heavy connection fees.
Second, the connection fee is not applied on top of the existing electricity cost. It is taken out of the existing cost. The reduce the per-unit cost of the lowest block by the same amount as the connection fee, thereby keeping the cost in check. The majority of people don’t end up paying R500 more, that really is a worst case scenario.
To be clear, I didn’t look at the actual tariffs. I just know this is how it is normally done, and I’m sure the people who did it were not complete idiots. That’s how Cape Town introduced the home tariff. Even now, if you look up the publicly available documentation on this, you will clearly see the home tariff (which has a connection fee) is cheaper per unit (up to 600kWh) than the domestic tariff (which does not have a connection fee).
They claim the 10kWh for 45m³ of concrete at the upper end of their estimate for capacity, and also only if you can extract all the energy from the capacitor (which is a very problematic assumption in itself). And the concrete has to be drenched in electrolyte.
Besides that, having your floor charged will be an interesting experience in itself. I don’t see this going mainstream.
Electricity Minister confirms: Karpowership deal is off . The Sunday Times led on Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s plans for nuclear. The bigger news from that interview is that Ramokgopa confirmed that the ridiculous and cash-guzzling Karpowership energy powership deal is off the cards. (This is a big win for civil society, which has fought the Mad Hatter plan from the get-go. Ed. )
I said from the beginning that I like him. Of course he has a way of putting things overly positive (that is his job), but the way he explains things in a common-sense sort of way, I really like that.
Some people have never been hired by a company that was already going under… only to realise it too late, and find that they could do nothing to stop it. And it shows.
Overproduction and price crashes are crippling China’s solar industry, which is worsening as countries impose import duties on panels.
Overwhelming supply and intense competition have pushed prices to unsustainable levels, causing financial losses, with rising numbers of manufacturers declaring bankruptcy or restructuring.
A subsidiary of Zhejiang Akcome is the latest to declare bankruptcy after a creditor said the manufacturer was unable to pay debts and “clearly lacks solvency”, reports Bloomberg.
China’s dominant solar industry is experiencing a perfect storm of company failures and mergers. Overproduction has led to plummeting prices, making it difficult to remain profitable.
Larger solar companies such as Longi Green Energy have managed to weather the storm by cutting back production and jobs, but smaller players like Akcome and Gansu Golden Solar face suspended production and potential financial ruin.
South Africa has just imposed a 10% import duty on solar panels to boost local manufacturing, create jobs and attract investment. The US doubled the import tax on Chinese solar cells, from 25% to 50%, this year, in an attempt to protect American industries from unfair competition.
International trading is not always as straightforward as it may seem.
This has been a concerns of mine the last few years …
When a province works, more will flock to it.
The next concern that will follow, as the province grows, the budget behind on growth, inevitable the politics will enter the fray and voters will change their votes … but not today.
It does necessitate other province to get their shiite in order or W/Cape will eventually also become a broken province in due course.
What this will lead to is privatisation of services. Which will, in this country, lead to multiple tiers of service from cheap but unreliable to pricey but clean, green and reliable for those who can afford it.
And of course deals will be cut, discounts for bulk consumers and so on.
China’s solar industry, which is worsening as countries impose import duties on panels.
solar industry is experiencing a perfect storm of company failures and mergers. Overproduction has led to plummeting prices, making it difficult to remain profitable.
South Africa has just imposed a 
US doubled the import tax on Chinese solar cells,