The link below is a really interesting interpretation of how base loads are diminishing year on year as solar and wind production become more entrenched and ‘mainstream’. The trends follow the same graph from Australia through to California. South Africa’s follows the same path.
The difference for South Africa is that the majority of our systems have batteries as the country tries to avoid load shedding whereas in the other comparatives, it is to reduce the cost of electricity. Potentially, this means that our night graphs will dip as time moves on. The other factor is that these countries have processes for tying into the existing grid creating a working and dynamic micro-grid. The very onerous and inefficient municipalities responsible for processing each SSEG application means that most South Africans outside of the Western Cape have not even bothered to register their systems with the appropriate municipality.
Essentially the Eskom monopoly will dissolve over time as generation becomes an even more cumbersome, costly and cantankerous creature.
30 years ago Eskom had 17000 employees and produced 46 000mW. that statistic has almost inverted with close to 46000 employees and 16 000mW being produced.
Have a read, extrapolate this forward 5 years and sell all your welfare shares in Eskom.
The days of SOE’s are spiraling toward an ANC hastened death.
Wietze Post (Part 2) β The solar duck curve: Nemesis to coal and nuclear plants