And the lights go out again.

[Chatmaster]

So my wife said she wanted coffee and I thought I should investigate how much electricity a kettle would use. Well I eventually found this article on the kestrel site giving approximate electricity usage for appliances and more. It seems I will have to use the big boy for the kettle alone, lol

[IanF]

So my wife said she wanted coffee and I thought I should investigate how much electricity a kettle would use. Well I eventually found this article on the kestrel site giving approximate electricity usage for appliances and more. It seems I will have to use the big boy for the kettle alone, lol

Chatmaster,
Easy solution just drink a cold beer or juice. Coffee is bad for you

[Chatmaster]

Chatmaster,
Easy solution just drink a cold beer or juice. Coffee is bad for you

lol, I actually do have a fine bottle of nicely aged Grape "juice" in the kitchen, looking for the corkscrew right now!

[Dave A]

I see Eskom is calling for a halt on new electricity hungry development.

Eskom says South Africa should be closed for new big industrial projects at least until 2013, when electricity supply is expected to improve.

Bongani Nqwababa, Eskom's finance director, said yesterday that the parastatal had advised the government that it wanted South Africa marketed only from 2013 for both local and foreign projects. It was inappropriate to advertise South Africa as an investment destination with low-cost electricity. "You don't sell what you don't have."

He warned that the Rio Tinto Alcan aluminium smelter in the Coega industrial development zone could be delayed. "Eskom needs to review supply to Coega." Other projects, such as BHP Billiton's plans to expand, were on the back burner.

When Eskom and Alcan had signed a 25-year power supply agreement in November 2006, both made commitments that, if reneged on, would incur penalties. Nqwababa said: "There must be penalties [but] I am sure they are cheaper than building a power station."
from Business Report here

So the Coega smelter is on hold - or maybe not as this report suggests:

Despite electricity blackouts, Rio Tinto Alcan is looking to give the go-ahead on South Africa's largest greenfields project, the Coega aluminium smelter, by mid-year, after receiving assurances from Eskom that it will be able to power the project starting in late 2010.

Robert Valdmanis, a Rio Tinto spokesperson, said yesterday that the engineering study was expected to be completed before the end of June.

Aluminium smelters are Eskom's largest energy consumers. At 1 350 megawatts, the Coega smelter will use about 3.5 percent of Eskom's available power capacity while the utility will battle to supply its other industrial and municipal customers.
from Business Report here

[duncan drennan]

Maybe it is just me, but this all just looks like a HUGE opportunity for the right people.

Anyone have a way of halving the energy required for an aluminium smelter?

Anyone have a way of providing at least half of that energy quickly and efficiently?

There is a huge industry that is about to boom in South Africa, and that is energy efficiency and self-provisioning. Where do you think people are going to invest capital if they can't build new plants?