155 years to perfect solar electric photovoltaic (PV) systems

"We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Thomas Edison in 1931. Auguste Mouchout invented the first PV panel in 1860.

After 155 years solar electric photovoltaic (PV) system research and development and price DECREASES, solar-electric systems with storage have come of age. Have you got yours? Do you want one? Do you have Load Shedding?

Are you interested in learning more about "Load Shedding and How to Prevent it?" Or would you like to know about "The Mercedes on my Roof". Or would you like to build a Community Power Station and don't know where to start?

Hire me and find out: http://www.vcita.com/v/davidlipschitz/

My Power Station: David Lipschitz and How I got to the name - a Mind Map

https://www.mindmeister.com/55740118/our-energy

Done in 2010, so some things may have changed.

Nuclear Power for South Africa?

The picture above is from the Green Print Nuclear is Cool Poster published in Schools by the South African government in 2009.

Nuclear Power for South Africa: 9.6 GW, ie 9,600,000,000 Watts.

R1 Trillion: R1,000,000,000,000 capital expenditure.

R104 per watt! Photovoltaic Systems with batteries are about R35 per watt.

To repay R1 trillion? R10 Billion: R10,000,000,000 per month repayments over 20 years at 10%.

4 million tax payers in South Africa, but 5% of the taxpayers pay 50% of the tax.

So if you happen to be one of these 5%, you are one of 200,000 people who need to pay R5,000,000,000 per month.

Which is R25,000 per month!

Something to look forward to in 10 years time? Without even getting electricity, and like Medupi and Kusile with no guarantee that the electricity will be available!

There and the other 3,800,000 people pay R1,315 per month.

And that's what the rich (another word for taxpayers) are being asked to do in South Africa, for "clean, reliable, environmentally" nuclear electricity.

Coal would be about R300,000.000,000 for the 9.6 GW, which is about R35 per Watt. But you still need 5,200 tons of coal per hour to run 9.6 GW of coal power stations!

And as you know coal and nuclear power stations don't run 24 hours a day 365 days a year. They need maintenance, shutdowns, refuelling, etc. And sometimes they just break.

What to do about it?

Call me, or book me, and I'll show you another way of thinking.

Permaculture Course in 2010

In the Winter of 2010, June 2010, I did a permaculture course with Robina McCurdy at Jakkalskloof farm near Swellendam.

From my notes: We learnt about Carrying Capacity, Legal Structures, Entry and Exit, Housing Strategy, Financial Constraints, Social Processes, Conflict Resolution, Watched DVDs, went on walks, created a model of the terrain using sand, string for roads and rivers, talked around the camp fire one night, invited the neighbouring farmers round for supper one night. I fed the chickens every day and collected the eggs. Free range, organic, grain fed. Fabulous. Did two 5.30am (rooster woke me up - I had to find out why) meditations with stars so close I could touch them! Saw satellites, shooting stars, aircraft taking off at 6am. Met amazing people. Did Tai Chi on other days. Learnt about "zones" and "seasonal calendars".

All this is important as part of a Community Power Station. If you'd like me to talk about why, please let me know.

Its time for the City of Cape Town to register itself as a Utility

Power to the people

There’s a good reason why. Low-income customers tend to live in older, less efficient homes, and their energy burden is 4.6x greater on average than non-low-income families’. Weatherization is an important way that utilities can engage working families and help them lower their bills.

Its time for the City of Cape Town to register itself as a Utility!

"Cost reflective electricity tariffs"

"Cost reflective tariffs" in an environment where costs are 3 times higher than they should be:-

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/…/sadc-ministers-target-20…

The SADC ministers met yesterday and spoke about "cost reflective tariffs". For Medupi this is R1.20 per kWh and for Nuclear R1.60 per kWh.

These are cost prices to Eskom. So homeowners can expect another 100% increases in electricity prices to achieve 'cost reflectivity'.

But: renewable energy is already at R1.50 for homeowners who are paying R2.14 in City of Cape Town!

A friend of mine did 40 renewable energy installs in Cape Town in the past three months. All systems so that people and businesses don't have load shedding.

And we are now very close to grid parity with batteries.

My thesis is that the SADC utilities must work with what I call Rooftop Owner IPPs to solve our energy and unemployment & water & cost of living & pollution crises.

Any other form of intervention is a waste of time and is driving customers away.

Note that I told a this to Ian Nielsen in Nov 2013, and even though he is the CFO of the City of Cape Town, he said that tariffs are the problem.

The sad truth is the SADC governments don't want to work with their electorate, and soon we wont need governments anyway as we take responsibility for ourselves and move back to city states.

Is censorship possible or even a good idea in an adult world?

Some weekend reading ... And an action that you must take if you want to continue to use the Internet.

Please sign this petition.

There are 11 million people on Facebook in South Africa and only 24,446 people have signed this petition. I wonder how the 11 million people will feel when they can't use the internet anymore? I wonder how Facebook and Google and Amazon will feel when they can't advertise to their loyal customers anymore and when they can't provide the important SAAS (Software As a Service) services that many of us pay for?

IMHO, the police are far better off leaving the internet as it is, open, and so they can actually monitor it. Once it is closed, it will also be closed to them!

I am currently moving all my web sites and BLOGs out of South Africa, mainly because South Africa's internet services are deteriorating so much, but also because most of my clients are actually outside South Africa and for other reasons explained below.

I also have a number of contractors outside South Africa already who are doing amazing work for me. Why do this? It is just so difficult to get rid of shoddy people in South Africa. And these people have the same chance as the overseas people to list themselves on UpWork, etc, but they just aren't there. People like me want to do everything on the internet. If you aren't publishing yourself and making yourself available on the internet, you are probably a loser in a 21st Century Prosumer World.

One of my contractors is in the Ukraine and another is in the Philippines.

This legislation is yet more South African government bureaucracy and inefficiency and expense which is killing jobs. A pity really as the local companies will lose out and the overseas companies are much cheaper, and in many cases, free!

Besides which, if there is internet censorship in South Africa, then there will be thousands of job losses in any case.

Not sure if you know but there is already a private wireless internet springing up as more and more people move off Telkom etc. As more and more people join this network, it will have multiple satellite dishes and it will not be able to be policed.

With digital TV coming, I will also not be upgrading and will rather use satellite communications and Netflix. More money lost to the SA fiscus as I won't need a TV license, and I won't watch any local programs, so even more jobs lost.

Stupid really of this government to think they can control the very people who are paying their salaries, and especially in an internet age where there are so many alternatives. THE DARK AGES WILL NOT RETURN.

Homeowners and Communities can viably make our own electricity and drinking water already and Urban Farms already produce 20% of the world's food, grown in cities.

All secrecy and repression of information laws are all preludes to fascism, so we must fight these UNJUST LAWS with all the CIVIL LIBERTIES we have, before we have none, and it will be entirely our own fault, for just not being involved.

David Lipschitz: Community Power Station Developer

If you've seen my business card, you'll know that it a version of it says "Community Power Station Developer". Here is more on this subject:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2015/06/21/8-16-billion-could-double-solar-market-by-2020/

South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2010 Update 2013 says load shedding until 2029

When will Load Shedding end?

See http://www.doe-irp.co.za/content/IRP2010_updatea.pdf

Look at page 107. F.4 & F.5.

"F.4. The results for the Moderate Decline scenario show high annual load factors of the expensive base load stations as well as unserved energy above the Adequacy Metric thresholds in 2023, 2024 and 2028. This indicates that there may be shortage of base load and peaking capacity in these years.

F.5. The results for the Big Gas scenario show high annual load factors of the expensive base load and OCGT stations as well as unserved energy above the Adequacy Metric threshold in 2023, 2024, 2027 and 2028. This indicates that there may be shortage of base load, mid-merit and peaking capacity in these years. "

Also see F.38 on Page 113:

"This indicates that there may be a shortage of mid-merit and peaking capacity from 2022 to 2024 and a shortage of base load from 2023 to 2028. "

SANEA: The Eskom War Room 22nd July 2015

The Eskom War Room in the office of the Presidency of the Government of South Africa. Talk given by Ashraf Karim, who works for the National Planning Commission (NPC). The talk was at the UCT Business School.

Reduce your cost of living - Written by David Lipschitz - December 2010

We need to find ways to reduce our cost of living for ourselves and our only home, planet Earth.

After 1000's of hours of research and trial and error and millions of Rands invested, I have a sequence of steps to help you reduce your cost of living.

There are a lot of web sites devoted to helping you do this, but people don't know where to start and often do nothing.

Here are a list of things that you can look into doing.  They are from least cost and increasing in cost (prices are from 2010):

1. Join an organisation to show your support for a different future
2. 
   
3. Like MyPowerStation on Facebook to show that you care about supporting a company that is helping us reduce our carbon footprint (zero cost). This also helps me (David) to feel your support and find more ways to help you;
4. 
   
5. Halve your meat intake. One hectare of soy can feed 60 people, but one hectare of soy fed to cows and then the cows fed to people only feeds two people. If every person in South Africa ate 1kg less meat in the next year, we would need 213,000 fewer cows. The meat industry is the the biggest polluter by far with some experts suggesting that 51% of our carbon footprint comes from eating meat (negative cost as you save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and eat more healthily reducing your heath costs);
6. 
   
7. If you live in a house, recycle your leaves and grass instead of throwing it in your bin. This is called composting. All you need are old plastic bags (eg 20kg dog food bags), a little bit of space in a sunny area and some water once a week. Keep the mixture moist and therefore humid. In 3 to 6 months you will have beautiful, healthy soil and you'll wonder why you sent the rubbish to the tip and bought compost (a few cents a month for the water and 5 minutes a week of your time);
8. 
   
9. Reduce your geyser temperature to 55 degrees celsius (-ve cost). In summer you can reduce it to 40 degrees if there are only 2 people in the house and heat to 55 degrees every 2 weeks to get rid of any bugs. Note that if you use the water ever day, you shouldn't have any problems with water at 40 degrees celsius;
10. 
    
11. Put a brick in your toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water that is used each time you flush (-ve cost because of the saving in water);
12. 
    
13. "If its pale, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." See if you can leave the stuff in your toilet in order to save water (-ve cost because of the saving in water);
14. 
    
15. Check the tariff you pay for your electricity. You can save a lot of money by ensuring you are on the right tariff!
16. 
    
17. Install CFL lights which use 8 Watts instead of 60 Watts. This 52 Watt saving, for a light which is on for 4 hours per day, equals R80 per year per light! Some people say that CFL lights are bad because they have mercury in them, but they have a tiny amount of mercury compared with the mercury that is spewed out of power station chimneys each year;
18. 
    
19. Plant 3 trees per annum to "offset" your carbon footprint. If you are 50 years old, you should plant more trees as you need to plant 150 trees to catch up. example http://greenpop.org/ at R75 per tree;
20. 
    
21. Insulate or "lag" your hot water pipes as a lot of heat can be lost through your hot water pipes (a few hundred rand). Ensure that the lagging can withstand 95 degrees celsius and check its guarantee;
22. 
    
23. Install a geyser blanket, but make sure it is tight around your geyser, otherwise it has the opposite effect (R400);
24. 
    
25. Buy a worm farm (R500 to R1000?). This is for recycling your organic matter in your kitchen;
26. 
    
27. Buy an Efergy Electricity Meter (R899 Recommended Retail Price). This will help you measure and understand your electricity use so that you can manage and reduce it. You will find your phantom loads and you will take measures to keep reducing your electricity. It also gives you a baseline or benchmark that you can compare against once you start doing the next few things;
28. 
    
29. Buy a geyserwise (R1000?). This will help you reduce the cost of your geyser;
30. 
    
31. Insulate your roof (R1000 upwards; R3000 approx for a three bedroom house). This can make the difference between needing heating and airconditioning or not. Even if you have insulation, you might want to check it as sometimes it compacts and adding more might help. If you have air conditioning and you add insulation, you might actually save money within a year;
32. 
    
33. Consider a second pool pump (R2000 for 400Watts);
34. 
    
35. Install a grey water system to save water; Install a system to recycle your pool water to save more water; (R3000 upwards). This can be difficult for an existing house regarding "retrofitting" the house, but place it under consideration;
36. 
    
37. Install a rain water collection tank (R4500 for a 5,000 litre tank). You might need to change your gutters and if you have the space and the budget then install 5,000 litres per person;
38. 
    
39. Put in a solar water heater geyser (R3000 to R8000). You don't need to put in the solar panels at the same time. The geyser must be efficient and mustn't lose more than 2 degrees celsius or .5 (half) a kilowatt hour in 24 hours. Old geysers and even some new geysers can lose 15 degrees celsius and 3 kwh in 24 hours assuming that the water is hot to start with and you don't use any water in that 24 hour period;
40. 
    
41. Install a solar water heater (R5,000 to R30,000 and rebates of up to R12,000). R15,000 spent on heating your water is equivalent to R50,000 spent on solar panels to make electricity to heat water! An effective solar water heater should give you three days of backup water assuming no sun for those three days. Most geysers are under-specified in South Africa and hence can still use up to 60% of the electricity they used to use);
42. 
    
43. Install a renewable energy system to make electricity. R50,000 upwards. A house that uses 1000 KWH per month will cost R300,000 to R600,000 depending on whether you want grid tie (no batteries) or batteries, but an experienced installer who follows the above techniques can bring the price down to under R150,000. 
44. 
    
45. If you are in a building install occupancy sensors to automatically switch lights on and off;
46. 
    
47. If you have time of use metering, then try to move your heavy loads to outside peak time. This means aircondition your offices from 3 to 5am and then switch off the airconditioners from 5am to 9am;
48. 
    
49. If you have machinery, don't turn it all on at the same time. A 10% saving in your peak demand load, eg from 2MW to 1.8MW can dramatically reduce your electricity bill.

My Power Station (David Lipschitz) Is a Global Keynote Speaker

Dear all

Energy – Keynotes by David Lipschitz

• Keynotes
• Conference speaking
• Presentations: choose a subject or select from a list
• Chairing debates and panel discussions
• Advisory panels
• Or invite me to your conference because of the questions I ask. I get the debate going!

I am a keynote speaker at conferences, amongst quite a few other energy related work I do.

I take the technical detail from the energy world to non-technical people to show them how they can reduce their cost of living for themselves and the environment and how they can make their own electricity so that load shedding doesn’t affect them, and so that they can protect their environment, their income and prepare for retirement.

To keep busy when I’m not talking about or researching energy, I develop financial, manufacturing, incentive and loyalty software using Delphi and Oracle.

Looking forward to your comments and to working with you.

Regards
David

Power-Gen #PGAfrica Batteries & Energy storage David Lipschitz 16th July 2015

This is a Mind Map of the preparation I did for chairing the Batteries & Energy Storage Panel Discussion at Power-Gen 2015 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town on 16th July 2015.

Sections are: PowerWall; History; Short Term Batteries; Very Long Term Batteries; What is a Battery; Overproduction and Waste (part of the reason for batteries even in a fossil fuel based electricity grid); What is a battery for; Types of Batteries.

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/key/I4kLhhQjOh2Spe

Mind Map: Power-Gen Africa #PGAfrica 2015 Conference David Lipschitz 16th July 2015 Day 2

The Second Day of PowerGen 2015 at the CTICC, Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, on 16th July 2015.

A mind map by David Lipschitz.

1: The centre of the Mind Map

2: Policy, Regulation & Privatisation Panel Discussion

Speakers: Angeli Hoekstra from PWC; Melusi Maposa from Accenture; Seamus Fitzgerald from ESS, Dublin; Richard Badge from Volta River Authority, Ghana; Mike Malcahy from Green Cape, who spoke about the Atlantis SEZ (Special Development Zone).

3: Capacity Building Panel Discussion

Speakers: Louis Jestin, EDF & Eskom EPPEI; Jens Reich, STEAG; Phindile Mooketse, Eskom Medupi Technical Plant Manager; Francois Petersen, Eskom EPPEI.

Subjects: Consultation, Design and Implementation; High Performance Utility Model; The Decision Tree for Capacity Building in (South) Africa; The Challenge of the Skills Shortage in South Africa; Eskom EPPEI (Eskom Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute).

4: Energy Storage Panel Discussion

David Lipschitz in the Chair

Panel: Mu'azzam Kippie, Eskom Hydro; Professor Wikus van Niekerk (Stellenbosch University); Precious Husvu, Eskom Compressed Air

Subjects: Battery and Energy Storage Overview; "Non-minimum" problem in hydro; CSP with Storage; PV with Compressed Air Storage.

There was another panel discussion later in the afternoon, which I didn't attend as I was in some meetings on the exhibition floor.

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/key/7jE1wN8IwkxFJ

"People": some of the people I met and what they said.

"Research": more things for me to find out about.

[]: anything is square brackets are my thoughts, possibly for more research.

Note: I have done 3D mind maps in the past. this is the first time I have put a hole day of mind maps on a single page. Hope you like it and look forward to your feedback.

PS: I have permission from Pennwell to publish this Mind Map. I thoroughly recommend their conferences. If you'd like me to present this mind map to you, please let me know.

Mind Map: Power-Gen Africa #PGAfrica 2015 Conference David Lipschitz 15th July 2015 Day 1

Mind Map: Power-Gen Africa #PGAfrica 2015 Conference David Lipschitz 15th July 2015 Day 1

The PowerGen Conference was on in Cape Town at the CTICC, Cape Town International Convention Centre, from 15th to 17th July 2015.

This presentation shows:
1) Start here

2) Plenary Keynotes with Nigel Blakeby from Pennwell, Mr Jacob Mbile who represented Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson from the DOE, Mr Brian Molefe, CEO of Eskom, Mr Sicelo Xulu from City Power in Johannesburg. I was surprised by Mr Xulu's honesty and welcomed his discussion, especially the section on Digitization, which is so critical for micro-grids, and efficiency of the grid, and reduction of waste.

3) Plenary Panel Discussion: subject: The challenges facing the electricity supply industry in Africa

4) Mr Xulu spoke again in the Plenary. A very interesting man.

5) After lunch, a panel discussion in the Technical Track on Gas Engines (generators that use gas)

6) A panel discussion in the Strategic Track on Energy Planning: Transitioning the Power System. This was so complex that I created the sub mind maps for Rodin Consulting and "How will SA grow its electricity supply".

"People": some of the people I met and what they said.

"Research": more things for me to find out about.

[]: anything is square brackets are my thoughts, possibly for more research.

Note: I have done 3D mind maps in the past. this is the first time I have put a hole day of mind maps on a single page. Hope you like it and look forward to your feedback.

PS: I have permission from Pennwell to publish this Mind Map. I thorough recommend their conferences. If you'd like me to present this mind map to you, please let me know.


https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/key/wip6kemrRxzm4X

Battery Mind Map Preparation for Power Generation Conference 15 to 17 July 2015

See you at POWER-GEN Africa at the Cape Town Convention Centre from Wednesday 15th to Friday 17th July 2015?

I am chairing a debate on "Energy Storage" on Thursday 16th July 2015 from 14:00 to 15:30.

I am joined by:

* Mu'azzam Kippie, C&I Engineer, Eskom, South Africa;

* Frank Dinter, Eskom Chair in CSP, Stellenbosch University, South Africa;

* Johannes (Wikus) Van Niekerk, Director: Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University, South Africa;

* Precious Husvu, Project Engineer, Eskom, South Africa.

Energy Storage Debate at PowerGen Cape Town

See you at POWER-GEN Africa at the Cape Town Convention Centre from Wednesday 15th to Friday 17th July 2015?

I am chairing a debate on "Energy Storage" on Thursday 16th July 2015 from 14:00 to 15:30.

I am joined by:

* Mu'azzam Kippie, C&I Engineer, Eskom, South Africa;

* Frank Dinter, Eskom Chair in CSP, Stellenbosch University, South Africa;

* Johannes (Wikus) Van Niekerk, Director: Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University, South Africa;

* Precious Husvu, Project Engineer, Eskom, South Africa.

Eskom and South Africa should take a long hard critical and objective look at itself

I think its time for Eskom to take a long hard look at itself, especially in light of Thulani Sikhulu Gcabashe's goals back in 2000.

Why has it failed in almost everything it set out to do?

Please note that if you post racist insults in reply to this post, I will delete them. Let's be adults here and stop the blame game. What worked? What didn't? Why didn't these goals get achieved? Who stopped them? Why? What / whose interests were served by decisions that were taken or not taken? Why did the government say that it wanted 30% of Electricity Generation to be in private ownership by 2010, and why did Eskom and the Cities prevent it? Where else has this happened, e.g. Italy? Why do governments make policies and strategies that they have no intention of implementing (not just South Africa, but Britain and Italy as well)?

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/black-power-x2013-eskomx2019s-first-black-ceo-speaks-about-how-he-will-lead-the-utility-through-its-transition-2000-10-27/searchString:Eskom+obligation

Sorry if you can't read this article, but here is a summary:

"To continue to be the lowest cost energy producer in the world."

“The line we have taken is that we enjoy an advantageous position that needs to be protected and that is the position of providing the world’s lowest-cost electricity."

“Eskom has afforded the economy some R11-billion in the last five years in terms of the price reduction in real terms.”

"The greatest contribution Eskom can make is keeping the price low and continuing to electrify, thereby bringing more people into the mainstream economy and making impacts in terms of health and education."

International Sales!! "For example, the pebble-bed modular reactor project is part of the diversification plan – Eskom is developing a new generation product which can be sold elsewhere."

Nicola Tesla and David Lipschitz : Powerful?

“All that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combated, suppressed — only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle.”

― Nikola Tesla.

Pulling the plug

"Pulling the Plug"

HomePower Magazine: "Threats of eliminating net-metering options and rising connection fees are causing some consumers to look at exercising greater energy independence."

Note that I have been advocating for a long time that utilities and municipalities set up systems so that those who have the means can install systems and feed the grid 24 hours day, using Net Metering and Time of Use Tariffs and Demand Response. In South Africa, I believe that Eskom can only supply 10% of the real demand in the economy.

Whether this happens or not, electricity users will create their own power stations and community power stations (micro-grids), so lets rather do it together as a nation, rather than apart, as individuals or a community.

Micro-Hydro in City Water Pipes

Portland's Electricity System from Water Pipes

We need to understand if the pressure downstream from the micro-turbine is reduced and for how far. A house taking water just before the turbine will have higher water pressure than a house downstream.

Some of the water pressure is translated into energy, hence the drop in pressure.

In a river system this pressure is usually recouped because a section of the river is diverted for the turbines, whilst the rest of the river runs past. The same for an air system with wind turbines.

Stress caused by? Loose Ends!

So, I've worked out what stresses me out!

Loose ends.

"You" said you'd do something for me; and I'm happy to pay you to do it! In fact, I had to pay you before you gave me the results.

You didn't do it, or it was incomplete. I have to find an alternative.

The deadline was 2 weeks ago. I've been looking for an alternative since after the deadline because you delivered late. etc. I phoned the manufacturer of the equipment today and he is helping to solve my puzzle.

By the way a puzzle is when a piece is missing. A mystery is when you have way too much information and you can't find what you are looking for, or you don't know what to look for.

Could the Greek electricity crisis be due to a shortage of electricity?

Written by me on 1 July 2012, 3 years ago.

Could a shortage of electricity have led to the Greek crisis, besides the financial shenanigans?

So what's really happening?

South Africa doesn't have enough electricity. Similar to Greece, Syria, Spain, some of the more than 40 countries worldwide whose energy imports either exceed their total exports or are more than 60% of their total exports.

South Africa doesn't have enough electricity.

Our capacity is around 35 GigaWatts, and was around 38 GW 20 years ago. Plus peaking power stations taking us to around 38 GW today. At 3.6% average electricity growth worldwide in the past 20 years, South Africa should be at 80 GW today and in 20 years time should be at 160 GW.

To "solve" the problem, the South African government has had to be very inventive. Especially whilst giving another 2 million people electricity since 1994. It has closed the textile industry, moving almost this entire industry to China. It has closed several smelters, hence the reason South Africa's iron and steel exports have plummeted. It blames our problems on China, but China adds 1 GW to its grid weekly and for the first time will install the biggest share of renewable energy worldwide this year.

The South African government needs to limit growth, otherwise the citizen (voter) will find out there is a problem. So the government does this with laws that limit growth or which limit the ability of small companies to employ people or which limit the second hand market from selling goods. Examples? The Consumer Protection Act which protects big business whilst preventing small business from doing business; The new Labour Legislation which has outlawed companies from employing casual staff thus preventing small companies from trying out people before giving them permanent employment. If a big company employs a person who doesn't work out, its not really a problem if the company already has 200 people. But when a small company with 2 people wants to employ a third person, its a massive investment. And in order to buy second hand goods at a market, a customer needs to show their ID book!! When last did you show your ID at Pick 'n Pay or Woolworths or Tafelberg?

Wanting to outlaw labour brokers who help people get jobs is another example.

And there are others.

All because South Africa doesn't have enough electricity.

And the way South Africa will solve this problem is to borrow R2,300,000,000,000 (R2.3 trillion) and the only way South Africa can repay this vaste amount of money is to give away the Karoo, ie allow it to be fracked; to prevent South Africa from having its very own car, the Joule, and in other ways.

But citizens can take back their rights by taking responsibility for themselves. And thus reduce their costs by up to 70% from 2012 prices. Its so simple, that people just can't see it, as they've bought into the Fossilized fuel energy Mythology.

Where to today? That is up to us!