Cut electricity consumption with automation - Watt Now Magazine

As to the scope for energy efficiency in South Africa, which is
oft reported as one of the world’s most energy inefficient societies,
Statham says it depends on who you speak with. The former CEO
of AngloGold Ashanti, Bobby Godsel was sanguine about the 10%
target for reduction of electricity, and suggested it should be higher,
but an aluminium sector executive who claims to have focused on the
efficiencies of that company’s biggest cost inputs, is appalled at such
a suggestion.
“To generalise, South Africans are not particularly energy aware,”
Statham says. “Executives don’t instruct their building managers to
ensure office building lights are switched off at night, a directive they
would personally ensure was carried out if they were really concerned
about energy efficiency. Shopping malls can cut the use of lighting
significantly without any ill effects. Pump manufacturers lecture on
how much electricity could be saved if only the pumps they sell were
maintained adequately and the sludge that collects in these cleaned
out periodically.” Compare this with the EU where people switch
off the lights when they leave a room and escalators have motion
detectors and only activate when there is someone to convey.
“South Africa got a shock earlier this year, but there has been no
real attitude change, and if someone is not energy aware at home it is
unlikely he or she will be at the office or factory.”
Statham does not believe the solution lies in a step change in the
price of electricity, nor in compulsory load shedding. “People do not
respond well to measures they see as punitive. Further, an affluent
household will complain about the doubling of the unit cost of
electricity to about 40c, but this will not have a material impact and
change habits, while such a hike will have a crippling effect on the
poorer population.”
Nor does Statham believe intelligent meters, which would have to be
rolled out in their millions at high cost, with potentially unattainable
near term logistical constraints, are the solution.
“A solution for changing residential electricity demand behaviour
already exists. It was implemented for what will be a scarcer
commodity in South Africa over the longer term, water. It is the use
of exponentially increasing tariffs, where the first units are cheap, and
the more units used the steeper the price escalation. No demanding roll
out of technology is required as existing metering systems and methods
already provide the information required for implementation.
Statham says instead that the biggest threat to solving the electricity
crisis in South Africa is a culture of blame. “Various groups are trying
to do things in isolation rather than approach the problem as SA
Incorporated.
“Unfortunately the government and Eskom have taken the approach
of doing it all themselves. In reality they suffer from skill shortages
and a lack of capacity, and the private sector in turn has been reluctant
to come forward with solutions.”
Statham refers to something a former CEO of Eskom, Ian McRae,
who demonstrated leadership and foresight during his tenure at
Eskom, told him. “The insecure man needs answers to all, while the
secure man simply needs to know where to find the answers.”
History also holds a lesson. When in the past Eskom, during a
large generation capacity expansion phase, built Matla power station,
few recall that it was not Eskom that provided the site management
team that built that power station. It was done by an independent
international contractor. “One can take if further. If there is a shortage
of skills in managing a power station, why not bring in a private
contractor.” Companies in the mining sector bring in specialist plant
operators, when they don’t have the capacity or inclination to operate
their own plants, and the power sector could do something similar. In
addition, importing the necessary engineering skills from offshore is
a lot less damaging to South Africa’s overall job creation prospects
than having situations ferment that sees waves of emigration.”
Business should not be unwilling to offer solutions and Eskom and
the government should not be too proud to accept them.
July 2008
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