https://reneweconomy.com.au/cheap-solar-and-wind-send-power-prices-to-three-year-low-as-coal-output-falls-15304/

I read an article which said 200mw of solar panels was exported to South Africa in 2019.

And that makes me wonder if somebody in the guvament is sitting with a calculator making sums as to how much money is slipping from their fingers foreva.

At 80% efficiency the municipalities might lose R272m every year at prepaid tariff of R2 per kwh. And Eskom will actually score zero income.

And guvament will lose R40m every year in vat from their real actual paying clients.

And this is but the tip of the iceberg which is on its way to meet the ANC Titanic.

I can see this can escalate to very high figures in a record time.

Before they wipe their eyes out Eskom will have no customers left. That will sort out the load shedding at least.

4 hours ago, Johandup said:

I read an article which said 200mw of solar panels was exported to South Africa in 2019.

And that makes me wonder if somebody in the guvament is sitting with a calculator making sums as to how much money is slipping from their fingers foreva.

At 80% efficiency the municipalities might lose R272m every year at prepaid tariff of R2 per kwh. And Eskom will actually score zero income.

And guvament will lose R40m every year in vat from their real actual paying clients.

And this is but the tip of the iceberg which is on its way to meet the ANC Titanic.

I can see this can escalate to very high figures in a record time.

Some of those panels will have gone out of the country. Many installers take on work all over Southern Africa, and I'm sure it's easier for them to get the panels sent here and then truck them up to, say, DRC.

Frankly I'm surprised there hasn't been more uptake. I live in a nice, comfortable, slightly upper middle class suburb. Last night there was an Eskom fault. I walked the street and found most houses in total darkness. Most folks don't seem to even have a generator or an inverter.  Folks I know who are much better off than I am and live in posher suburbs also have taken no precautions.

I think that's going to start changing now, and I wish I'd bought shares in some company servicing what I think is a growing market. It's clear now that load shedding at some level is going to be with us for a year (at least). Joburg is worse because we shed half as often, twice as long, which means 4 hour blocks. So if you have a hungry baby you can't wait 2 hours and then make a bottle, you have a problem.

So there's a trap here. More people go to alternative supply, the municipalities and eskom earn less. I'm part of the problem. I've done what I judge is best for me, but if enough people do that then COJ will see a significant fall in revenues.

PS: Why is the figure of R2 per kwh chucked around so often? We pay nowhere near that in Jhb. Are we just lucky?

50 minutes ago, DeepBass9 said:

Before they wipe their eyes out Eskom will have no customers left. That will sort out the load shedding at least.

Well... we will all have DSTV, but the robots will all be out, the cell networks will all go to heck, and what about the genuinely poor who can't even afford an inverter and a couple of batteries?

For the long term good of all of us, the grid HAS to survive and keep providing power. I know... the taxpayer will get screwed over, but it's the lesser of evils.

 

18 minutes ago, Bobster said:

PS: Why is the figure of R2 per kwh chucked around so often? We pay nowhere near that in Jhb. Are we just lucky?

i think that would be for prepaid.

I know that once i go over 600 units i also pay more than R2 per unit for each unit above 600

1 hour ago, Bobster said:

Why is the figure of R2 per kwh chucked around so often?

Prepaid =R2 per kwh from unit1

3 minutes ago, Johandup said:

Prepaid =R2 per kwh from unit1

It depends on your plan.

Mine starts at a mere 90c for the first 50kWh, then picks up to R1.38 per kWh then on the R2.2 we go, and should you be so unlucky as to hit the high tier usage bracket, hello R2.8 per kWh

1 hour ago, stoic said:

 

i think that would be for prepaid.

I know that once i go over 600 units i also pay more than R2 per unit for each unit above 600

Well, I draw a little bit still from grid, and COJ have flagged me for inspection because they don't see me buying prepaid any more and want to know what's going on.

So today, just to keep COJ busy and to increase the credit on my meter whilst electricity is cheaper than it will be in a few months, I spent R350 on prepaid. That got me 218.3 kw/h. 

OK... it is on a sliding scale. in COJ the first step on the scale is the first 350 Kw/h per month. I bought less than R350, so I go the cheap tariff (160.33 cents incl).

OK, if you're on post-paid and have the flat fees that come with that (R600 and something a month in Jo'burg), then maybe R2 is not such an outlandish figure.

Prepaid you pay R2 per kWh from the first unit.

Dunno who scores the price difference ....

2 hours ago, Bobster said:

PS: Why is the figure of R2 per kwh chucked around so often? We pay nowhere near that in Jhb. Are we just lucky?

Here are the CT tarrifs. So yes if you are paying less than R2 consider yourself very lucky.

 

12 minutes ago, Johandup said:

Prepaid you pay R2 per kWh from the first unit.

In our area prepaid works exactly on the same gliding scale as post paid. This confuses the living hell out of those users.

eg. buy R 500, so first R 500 would get them as example 500 units or kWh.

So during the month they add another R 500, but then they only get lets say 250 units.

What the munic does is not suddenly charge them double, but apply the distribution to the first purchase as well, so for the R 1000 you got at R 1,5 per unit.

They work on calendar month. and PS, over 600 units/kWh per calendar month is like R 2.28 incl.

Options are 0-100, then 101 to 400, 401 to 600 and over.

Those CT tariffs offer no incentive at all for pre-paid users in an area like mine. COJ are slowly removing the incentive for going pre-paid.

I don't understand this because you want to encourage people to pay in advance because that's good for cash flow. 

But ja, you okes are paying a lot for that view. 

COJ stick to the bands as well. The first 500 kw/h are shown on your bill at one tariff, the next 500 at a higher tariff, the next 1000 at a still higher tariff and so on. Though I used to regard exceeding the 500 kw/h a month mark as a badge of dishonor. 

Interesting thing is that so few people acquaint themselves with the tariffs. Their bill is like black magic to them and some I know believe the tariff is constantly changing.

Edited February 11, 20205 yr by Bobster
Spelling. Eish.