Governments and solar power

[GCG]

Randomly came accross this site  http://ezinearticles.com/?Aint-No-Sunshine-%28And-Solar-Power%29-When-The-Political-Class-Gets-Involved&id=4982474,  and wondered, what are the chances of governments actually pushing for solar power?
considering they wont get anything out of it, apart from the initial tax of purchase.
the government surely makes oodles of money off power generation, if not directly, then indirectly via the mining of the coal, the transport....
Is ESKOM government owned?  im sure it is.
once a house is solar powered, the government is disabled from squeesing money out of you.
i have heard of businesses wanting to push for cheaper solar initiaves, were bullied by ESKOM, and their task was made impossible.
at a quick google i didnt find anything concrete.
im sure ESKOM will be very happy to implement solar power, if they can still charge you the same for your consumption, and they get to regulate the generation of the electricity.
thing is, joe soap can stick panels on his roof, and hey presto!  they dont need ESKOM.
after the initial installation costs, and a bit of maintenance now and again, you can tell ESKOM to suck it.

[BoogieMonster]

Until it gets cloudy for a month....

I'm all for people having solar panels and pumping excess electricity into the grid, and when it goes dark for too long and you need elec. from the grid, you're free to use it. (With the power you pumped into the grid as credit).

But alas, back in the real world money and power rules.

[GCG]

there are loads of sites punting green power, even eskom is punting green power, but at the moment, solar power is not cheap at all,  and i saw an article where government is subsidizing solar geysers in townships.  could this be just a little media ploy, and to keep the squatters quiet while they try and figure out how to doupe the public a while longer, and then come up with promises at the next elections?

[Lilli]

There are many different types of 'green' energy, and some of the initiatives are more successful than others. Solar water heaters, for example, are a cost-effective green technology in SA, and government programmes to install them as part of housing projects are under way. Security is a problem, because the solar geyser people's elec bills obviously are lower, and so the geysers get stolen. Photo-voltaic cell technology, on the other hand is not as well developed in SA, which is why it is not yet a cost-effective green technology. I have reason to believe people are working on it though. whether or not these people are literate, I have no idea.
As an aside: Building new townships (I'm talking not of townships like where the black and poor people live in shacks, I mean any new susburbs, extensions etc), the development HAS to be connected to the power grid, and the sewage network, and the water supply network etc. Legally, a township cannot be proclaimed unless the local municipality has sufficient evidence that the township has access to adequate service provision. So even with the initiatives from government to introduce 'green energy' into townships, Eskom is still getting their paychecks signed.

[Lilli]

And by the way GCG, you are right, Eskom is a state-owned enterprise as far as I know.
Their productivity certainly seems to indicate that they operate on the same efficiency levels as most government departments.

[daviff]

There is a huge difference between what our "government" says and what it does.

The government says it is for green energy. What it has done to oppose solar power is:

1.) Granted Eskom the monopoly to purchase electricity from private generators. Eskom only started buying energy in June this year from private suppliers when the state of emergency in power supplies was declared. Before June any solar power producer could not sell their power. The Eskom board could only make sure that the board members were paid and they could not guarantee payment for independent suppliers.

2.) Solar systems have been unfairly charged for "certification." You can get an uncertified solar geyser for R700. The outrageous charges for certification means that a certified geyser is over R2000 as the companies have to recoup the certification costs.

3.) If a government wants to stop something then it taxes it. There are no tax rebates on solar components. Our government is one of the few in the world that taxes school books and that has done our school system so much good - we are third last in the world. Tax rebates zero vat and no import duty on solar systems will bring down the cost and spread the use of solar technology.

4.) RDP corruption and ignorance. Various green technology firms have tendered for RDP projects. The tender board members either don't understand the technology or won't award contracts without a "consultancy fee" (read bribe) to the members of the tender board. Individual solar power generators can not sell their power to the municipality because the Municipalities do not have the expertise to install two way meters on houses. Also the two way meters in use in the rest of the world are not certified for SA.

5.) Land seizure threats - no intelligent person is going to invest in a mirror farm, wind farm or solar chimney with the Middle Aged League (ANCMAL) threats of expropriation.
 

Another 25% electricity hike will mean that it will be cheaper to install solar power generation than to buy from Eishkom - even if you can't sell your surplus. The nano tech companies in the states working on "printed" solar panels have dropped the price per watt incredibly.   

[GCG]

righteous post mate.  helps when someone actually knows the facts.
cant say im much surprized at the blatant discrepenancies.

[StevoMuso]

... Eishkom ...

LOL. I like - I laugh a lot. Nice post daviff, thanks.