Latest Eskom outages stress need for alternative energy

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Latest Eskom outages stress need for alternative energy

But, can renewable energy provide the answer?

(Published in MINING April/May 2014 )

By Stef Terblanche

South Africa’s embattled power utility Eskom recently resorted to electricity load shedding for the first time since 2008, raising the gloomy spectre of revisiting the costly power outages and production shut-downs of that fateful year.

This also rekindled the debate on what needs to be done, or whether enough is being done to prevent future power shortages, especially in the mining and other industries that are heavy users of electricity.

One issue that immediately put up its hand for discussion was the use of renewable energy by the mining industry. Questions arose such as whether this option was being embraced by the industry, or whether it really was an option, one that could offer an alternative source of affordable and reliable energy.

It appears that both the debate and a journey of further discovery may still have some distance to go.

(Afrikaans article published in De Kat July/August 2014 edition)

Twee dekades van opspraakwekkende moorde

Stef Terblanche

Kameras flits met die aankoms van die konvooi motors. Die skare beur vorentoe om die moord-beskuldigde te sien as hy die stampvol hof onder polisie begeleiding binnestap. Plaaslike en buitelandse joernaliste maak koorsagtig aantekeninge.

Dié toneel speel hom nie af by Oscar Pistorius se moordverhoor nie. Ook nie by dié van Shrien Dewani of die jeugdige Griekwastadse gesinsmoordenaar nie.

Nee, die jaar is 1961, die plek die Kaapstadse Hooggeregshof, en die nuuskieriges is daar vir die verhoor van die 23-jarige Marthinus Rossouw. Hy word daarvan beskuldig dat hy teen betaling die aantreklike en flambojante 36-jarige baron Dieter Joachim Gunther von Schauroth met twee koeëls deur die nek vermoor het.

Al is die gemiddeld 5,000 moorde per jaar in Suid-Afrika tussen 1960 en 1980 aansienlik minder as die huidige sowat 16,000 moorde per jaar was dit tog ’n era van buitengewoon baie opspraakwekkende moordsake.