Plan B Forum

There's a funny story at the end of this. Right now we are all plagued by "load shedding", which is newspeak for Eskom turning off the electricity for 2.5 hours once, twice or more times per day on a rotational basis. The reasons for such drastic action (and let's be honest) it costs the economy billions every day in lost production, inability of workers to commute and so on) are legion.

First, the shameful neglect of repairs and replacement for (who'd have guessed?) about 25 years. Second, the deployment of pig-ignorant 'cadres' of the ANC to positions of responsibility they have been unable to handle. Third, looting by said cadres and cronies, including the tools of the infamous Guptas, most of them government ministers. Fourth and etc., mismanagement of coal supplies, refusal to develop alternative sources of energy and a struggle against independent power producers. Fifthly, TIA.

Anyway, the story. Load shedding has been worsened because a major generating station has ceased contributing to the power grid. It relies upon water from a dam higher up in the hills to drive the turbines. Normally, the water is recaptured below the generating station and pumped back up to refill the dam. The problem is that the pumps have been unable to bring the water level sufficiently high to maintain the cycle.

The reason for this insufficiency is that the Eskom pumps are inoperative for 2.5 hours once, twice or more times per day due to Eskom's load shedding

It relies upon water from a dam higher up in the hills to drive the turbines. Normally, the water is recaptured below the generating station and pumped back up to refill the dam. The problem is that the pumps have been unable to bring the water level sufficiently high to maintain the cycle.

Wow, a perpetual motion machine. Does the rest of the world know about this?

Tee hee - no, of course there is loss. But there's not sufficient infill to the dam from rain-fed streams and it makes "sense" to recycle the water that would otherwise flow downstream and benefit somebody else. Or nobody.

Most folks here are not too bothered when the power goes off at 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. but ... sleep apnea... CPAP... it wouldn't be so bad if one could make a cup of coffee, read up on Plan B, or any of the other important things there are to do in the black hours. I hate reading a book for 2.5 hours using a head-light.

Have you looked into battery backups? My last BF in Montana found a a rechargeable battery capable of powering my CPAP all night - for camping.

What about getting a generator?

Here's something like what he got for our camping outfit:

CPAP battery

MajGenl.Meade wrote:... Load shedding has been worsened because a major generating station has ceased contributing to the power grid. It relies upon water from a dam higher up in the hills to drive the turbines. Normally, the water is recaptured below the generating station and pumped back up to refill the dam. The problem is that the pumps have been unable to bring the water level sufficiently high to maintain the cycle.

The reason for this insufficiency is that the Eskom pumps are inoperative for 2.5 hours once, twice or more times per day due to Eskom's load shedding

I remember Joseph Heller addressing a similar problem quite some years ago.

Bureaucracy... it's a bitch.

Being "dark" in SA are photo-voltaic cells out of the question?

ex-khobar Andy wrote:

It relies upon water from a dam higher up in the hills to drive the turbines. Normally, the water is recaptured below the generating station and pumped back up to refill the dam. The problem is that the pumps have been unable to bring the water level sufficiently high to maintain the cycle.

Wow, a perpetual motion machine. Does the rest of the world know about this?

Pumped hydro has been in use for decades around the world to harmonize the availability of hydro-electric power with demand. Calif. built a large system in the 1970s and there are ca 40 in the US dating to the 1920s.

http://energystorage.org/energy-storage ... ic-storage

yrs,
rubato

Er - yes, Rube.

ex-khobar Andy wrote:Er - yes, Rube.

Can't get anything past him, heh?

BoSoxGal wrote:Have you looked into battery backups? My last BF in Montana found a a rechargeable battery capable of powering my CPAP all night - for camping.

Yeah, you're right. I keep on thinking about it... Last night wasn't so bad; midnight to 2:30... I managed a sort of uncomfortable snoozing until 12:57, then read for an hour and the power came back on at 2 a.m. Eskom is never too reliable on time!

Remember, wine can get one through periods of no electricity but electricity is useless in periods of no wine. Oh and currently we are in Cape Town (school hols) so who cares (hic) about Eshkom?

Clearly, not all of the electrons are firing upstairs, if you know what I mean.

ex-khobar Andy wrote:Er - yes, Rube.

There is a lot of current work on new energy storage methods as wind and PV are expanded. I think it is interesting to note that there was a similar problem with hydropower. Another technology which was widely used in the early parts of the 20th century in the SW US and has nearly disappeared is solar hot water heating which provides > 300 GW of energy in China and has been in continuous use in northern Europe for many decades.

yrs,
rubato

Sometimes keeping current is an uphill battle.

Joe Guy wrote:Sometimes keeping current is an uphill battle.

Yes, I think that technique has a lot of potential. Of course it depends on the capacity of the pumps. It's important that the engineers stay grounded as there is often a lot of resistance to new ideas like this.

ex-khobar Andy wrote:

Joe Guy wrote:Sometimes keeping current is an uphill battle.

Yes, I think that technique has a lot of potential. Of course it depends on the capacity of the pumps. It's important that the engineers stay grounded as there is often a lot of resistance to new ideas like this.

Ohm my God, that's watt says it all.

Now you ohms are polari-ing!

ex-khobar Andy wrote:
Yes, I think that technique has a lot of potential.

I found it revolting.

MajGenl.Meade wrote:Now you ohms are polari-ing!

That's half of an AC-DC joke!

Julian and his friend Sandy would be proud of you.