Taking power into their own hands
Posted on 08. Dec, 2010 by lauratyrer in South Africa
Pick up your compass and lead the way to a low-carbon economy
Certain power producers have decided not to wait for an international agreement to start tackling climate change. South African power producer Eskom, together with similar companies in Japan, China and the US, are working together to find ways to lower emissions in their respective countries through their own actions.
Internationally, the energy sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and subsequently, increased average global temperatures and climate change.
In recognition of this, Eskom and its partner organisations intend to work together over the next year, so as to present their plans to reduce emissions from power production at the next Conference of the Parties (COP), in Durban.
Meanwhile, in the face of much anti-coal lobbying and the recognition that burning fossil fuels simply isn’t sustainable, Eskom is planning to reform itself into a renewable energy company in the long term. The company hopes to focus particularly on solar power and is already in the process of debating various technology options.
This does not, unfortunately, mean much for South Africa’s integrated resource plan (IRP) which is currently in the planning phase and is due for promulgation in February. Eskom is proud that 16% of South Africa’s energy needs will come from renewable energy technology by 2030, but this falls far short of what the country is capable of.
Scenarios from non-profit organisations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (http://www.wwf.org.za/media_room/news/?3021/WWF-report-calls-for-50-renewable-energy-by-2030) and Greenpeace ( http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/energyrevolution/), demonstrate that substantially more renewable energy is possible in South Africa than is currently being included in the country’s long-term energy plan.
Another issue of concern is the South African government’s version of ‘green’ energy, which seems to include numerous, large nuclear power stations. While nuclear power is better than burning coal in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, it’s by no means clean or appropriate for South Africa. Electricity from nuclear comes with a number of realistic and practical burdens.
It’s too expensive – Nuclear power stations and technology comes with an extremely burdensome price tag. It’s a bit like buying a mink toupe that requires careful maintenance and may be potentially embarrassing, instead of taking the right vitamins and supplements to get your hair to grow back naturally.
It’s too slow – South Africa needs power faster than we can build nuclear power stations. Internationally, there is a lengthy wait for the required components. It would take too long to meet our energy needs.
It’s dirty – while nuclear is cleaner than burning coal, the process still produces extremely aggressive waste – the kind that causes nasty abnormalities and cancer. This is not an exaggeration. Marie Curie’s notebooks and even her cookbook are stored in a lead-lined container because they are so dangerously radioactive, they pose a risk to the health of the reader.
While the waste produced from nuclear energy production takes up relatively little space and can be contained, it unfortunately remains radioactive for thousands of years. Maintaining whatever method we’ve created for storage of is not a burden we can entrust or burden future generations with. We have no idea whether or not conditions in the future will be such that our descendants will be able to cope. Would you bury an active bomb on your family property, assuming that your great grandchildren will know how to work around it, perhaps diffuse it or be able to move elsewhere if it blows up?
Eskom’s plans are admirable, and this is exactly the sort of initiative we should all be showing, so let’s follow Eskom’s lead and take the responsibility for climate change into our own hands. We each have a responsibility and a part to play. However, let us be wise in our strategy but not attempt to solve the problem with a plan that will give us cause for regret.