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Another Eskom mistake? Or Not?


Jaco De Jongh

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4 hours ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

Unless something has changed, since when is it cheaper to do batteries over PV? I am trying to understand the logic here if any. Maybe I am missing something. 

It's not PV. It's CSP. From what I've read, PV is at the point of surpassing CSP in terms of lower cost. CSP has the advantage that storage (in a heated salt solution) is still easier. And there is the whole green concern for the birds too. I have mixed feelings about this. Somehow I feel dropping CSP for something else is the right thing to do, as long as that something else isn't coal or... just nothing.

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14 hours ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

Maybe I am missing something.

CSP is the part i missed. Not familiar with this technology till 10min ago. Interesting concept. 

 

9 hours ago, plonkster said:

Somehow I feel dropping CSP for something else is the right thing to do

Guess you right, i dont know enough about CSp, but i know that battery storage for these guys with their track record might not be the option. we all know what it takes to manage, maintain and look after our banks. Sure they will invest in the best battery monitoring and maintenance systems with the initial installation, but looking at how they maintain there current equipment that they have decades of experience on, I cant help to wonder, what level of knowledge and quality of service will go into maintaining these "Battery Storage" that they want to invest in. 

From my limited experience with a home solar system , I came to the conclusion that  its much cheaper and takes a lot less maintenance to harvest 5 kwh  from a PV array than drawing that from a "Battery Backup" 

I cant even imagine what a "battery backup" system for Eskom would look like......... 

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China has, and possibly Rosatom would as nuclear is "postponed" for now, invest in SA ito electricity.

Both of them, investing in SA now, very interesting.

China also seems to also have invested in SA Railways if memory serves, both because of Ramaphosa.

So it is possible that they may ask that their people be put in charge of any new ventures, if they are the money invested. No ways will either leave the Unions "in charge".

For both of them are quite well versed on how to handle issues like Union strikes, dissidents and all that, if you where to ask me.

So it could be beneficial for the majority (being irrelevant) for both China and Russia to heavily invest in SA power and transport, solving two "powder keg" scenarios.

Big picture, it is good. Long term, I am not so sure where this can lead, but I have my theories on that, as per this thread:

 

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3 hours ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

China also seems to also have invested...

they are doing the same here than in zim, pushing money in, until we are entirely sucked in, as was zim. the chinese are a formidable colonial power, comes a long way, their last 'outreach' was in 1421 [see https://youtu.be/BHyskuTwOOI] - am sure thats grinding trump]

:ph34r:

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China concerns me on many levels. You guys might not follow the news in terms of all these matters, but recently they banned sales of the Bible, or more specifically, it was already illegal to sell it in book stores (it needs a specific code assigned, somewhat like an ISBN, which it hasn't got), but there was a loophole that allowed online sales, and this loophole was closed. Now the reason this concerns me is not so much the book that is in question (church bookstores may still sell it), but the reason behind it. The reason behind it is that Christianity is blamed for China's troubles, basically that it put a stop to Mao Zedong's "great leap forward" (you are welcome to read up on that). He wants to encourage traditional Chinese religions... or make Christianity more chinese.

(Interestingly, selling the Quran represents no problems... probably because they are a minority).

Now the main reason this worries me... is the rhetoric around this sounds very similar to what Mao used in the early 20th century. You know the second largest death toll by government for an ideology... that one? 45 million people.

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10 minutes ago, plonkster said:

China ... banned sales of the Bible, ...

Happening in the West also.

In some US States they are focused on banning Christianity in schools - Islam on the other hand, in the same schools, is welcomed and encouraged.

Banning also going on in the social media, people being taken to court for disagreeing with non-Christians, if they dare disagree based on religious convictions.

Europe, also started happening there. Islam, no problem.

N/Africa and Middle East, record numbers of Christian have been killed.

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12 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

Happening in the West also

the Truth has always been suppressed - but Christianity, that is the gospel, has miraculously grown notwithstanding, and in spite of oppression. what is happening now has been the case since the day the serpent asked "...Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" and man started the mortal ego-trip he is still on. hence all other books and 'solutions' thrive, for they make the individual the god he/she/it is not. the quran does it, mao's little red book does it, karl marx's kapital does it, darwin's on the origins of the species .....

you guys knew i would join this debate - and so did i :)

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Well, I would actually prefer not to discuss the religious part so much. The part that bothers me is the ideology. He is essentially on his own mission to "make China great again", and he wants the foreign elements out.

As to the west with their strange bias against one view, while inviting the others: That's out-person psychology. Read that article. It is a long one, and not written by someone particularly religious, but absolutely brilliant (I also like the Chesterton Father Brown reference). Us westerners think it is cool to be critical of ourselves (to some extent it is necessary... but it's like we've become overly proud of it), and at the same time we very easily approve of things that don't really affect us.

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34 minutes ago, plonkster said:

but it's like we've become overly proud of it

aha, very interesting subject. most people will hide their 'proudness' behind a cloak of humility and humbleness; the facade,  the games people play to in the end get what they want, be it power, money, sex, attention, the front seat in the synagogue... whatever - and remember the chinese are but people, their advantage in this game is for the most they are physically smaller then the westerner and the latter already perceives them as the 'lesser'... we must not be deceived by the outward appearance!

g'nite chaps, i'm off to catch some z's

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