nuclear-news

South African residents turning to off-grid renewable energy

Power Outages Renew Interest in Renewable Energy VOA News 17 Feb 15 South Africa’s state power company, Eskom, isstruggling to meet demand for electricity in the country. The company has putin place an aggressive plan for limiting the amount of electricity it supplies to prevent a collapse of the electrical system.

However, the unpredictability of the system is causing some South Africansto become self-sufficient. These people have begun producing energy in their own homes. Many are choosing renewable forms of energy…….

Some South Africans are considering other power sources to reduce their dependence on the electrical grid……..

Some people say that taking oneself off the grid is only for people who canpay for it. Greg Ball spent over $30,000 placing solar technology equipmenton his home. He says the technology has paid for itself. He says he savesabout $7,500 in fuel every year.

Starting costs are high. Yet, several solar companies in Johannesburg toldVOA that recent power outages have helped create a notable increase ininterest.

Ryan Beech is part of a Go Green Project for Parkhurst, a wealthy area inJohannesburg. The project aims to take 2,000 houses off the electrical gridand have them using renewable energy by 2020.

He says, “We are currently looking at all the technology out there from hydroto solar, (and) wind.”…..

…Eskom’s financial problems could mean higher fees for customers in thefuture. That could cause more people will turn to renewable energy.http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/south-africa-power-outages-bring-new-interest-in-renewable-energy/2643488.html

February 18, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general