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Jo
Posts:4
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| 02/07/2008 11:36 AM |
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If we're going to have power failures and load shedding for the next 8-10 years, as Eskom has advised - and if we truly are the conservation village that we claim to be, shouldn't we take matters into our own hands to find alternative, reliable and renewable enery sources?
The wind's pumping through Scarborough today and the sun is shining - two free, natural and clean sources of energy that are literally on our doorsteps.
Scarborough is contained, has almost solely residential power requirements (no industry) and setting up a solar PV array to power the entire village (and possibly Red Hill and Misty Cliffs too) is highly feasible. Yes, it will cost money to implement and we'd need to find a site for the array, but dividing the cost by all the residents should make this pretty affordable. The bulk of the costs would be one-off and then we'd have clean, free electricity for life.
There are several companies who could quote us for this sort of thing and I'd be more than happy to research it on behalf of the village.
How wonderful would it be to no longer rely on Eskom or generators and to know that our electricity isn't contributing to global warming and environmental degradation? We have an opportunity here to trailblaze and become a model for sustainable village life. It's been done in Europe - why not here?
What do you think? Please post your comments here or get in touch with me directly.
Thanks
Jo |
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cecelle
Posts:6
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| 02/27/2008 6:40 PM |
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Wonderful idea... see everybody else thinks so too!!
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Jo
Posts:4
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| 02/29/2008 4:08 PM |
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| Thanks Cecelle... at last a response. Seems you and I are the only people who think this is a good idea though. Does anyone else read this forum? |
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diana
Posts:1
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| 03/11/2008 4:40 PM |
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| I think its a very good idea and would be interested in your research |
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Lee
Posts:1
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| 04/02/2008 3:34 PM |
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Very thrilled others are also thinking along these lines. There are also numerous systems that are really small but produce sufficient energy to power average needs. These can include hybrid (solar and wind) systems that are small enough to fit within one's own garden. Maybe we also need to investigate how many people would be interested in either an individual hybrid (or a wind or solar) system and look at getting wholesale discount for mass installations at individual homes. This way we can prevent having to do the EIA for a site - which is a whopping cost on its own, trying to manage and administer the overarching costs, maintenance, etc.
Lee |
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docjst
Posts:1
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| 04/09/2008 2:38 PM |
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| Great idea. Who would research it and find out about costs? |
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Northwinds
Posts:1
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| 05/07/2008 11:29 PM |
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Tom Cooper,
Been there done that in terms of power saving.IT really does help. Great debate. But, in the end we will still have to depend on ESCOM.It really is the cheaper option. Just sit down and do the figures.(or ask your local rocket scientist to help you with the exercise)
Community scale power reticulation? We cannot even get the community to come to the SRPA AGM,s.
IT,s comming up soon.
Please attend.
Let's talk power.
Cheers.
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Jo
Posts:4
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| 05/08/2008 8:36 AM |
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Hooray - some responses :-) great to hear that there are some people in the village who are interested in pursuing this. I have been chatting to Richard Foster about it and tapping into his electrical expertise, as well as a couple of solar/wind providers. More research to be done, but ultimately if everyone comes on board the costs will be far lower than if just a few of us are willing to contribute.
Another option which needs looking into is sponsorship - getting a large US oil company to cover the initial capital outlay would be great, and fantastic PR for them as they help pioneer sustainable communities in Africa. And dividing the Rand cost by 8 for dollars would make it a very small outlay indeed for them. Anyone have any connections?
I have asked Graham Noble to put this on the agenda for the SRPA meeting on 21 May. |
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Rebecca1
Posts:1
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| 10/13/2008 11:09 AM |
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Hello
I had a phone conversation with Pippa Soloman today regarding Kom becoming a Transition Community, this has already been granted. Pippa is keen that Scarborough is involved. I have minutes from their first meeting that I am happy to forward on to anyone who is interested. These are interesting times for all, it would be wonderful for us to embrace these changes with the Kom community and also to encourage Redhill to come on board.
With love and blessings
Rebecca
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Patrick
Posts:2
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| 10/14/2008 12:14 PM |
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| Thanks Rebecca. A few Kommetjie residents have joined the transitional town movement which is gaining momentum locally and globally. No approval necessary fortunately. New interested people are welcome and I can foward docs, project outlines etc. We are planning a show and tell event for early December where we hope to have lots of the right renewable stuff and practices on display related to energy, water, soil, transport etc. feel welcome to participate or spectate. More details on request. Patrick@tops.org.za |
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