South Africa produces about 40% of the power required on the African continent. Power lines are ubiquitous - along the highway, the interstate, across the high veld, through the bush. There are wooden poles with porcelain insulators along the roads and high steel towers that look like the Eiffel Tower transversing the high veld and bush ... but - they pass over and around many of the villages. Some of the homes along the way to education district offices are shacks - made of found materials - and sometime cement blocks - with no power lines to them. Our taxi driver talked about the shortage of power in the country. Yet we see coal-fired power plants, huge electrical substations... and brightly lit cities. And hear stories about homes in the villages being destroyed by fire from an overturned candle or lantern being used for light. And these homes do not have running water.
And batteries - my life is filled with them! And there's only ONE electrical outlet in my room! My Garmin (for running), two cameras, my Nook, my team mobile, my Blackberry - all are hungry for access to the ONE outlet! And yes my computer, hair dryer, iron, curling iron - each is looking for their share of access to that ONE outlet! And each has certain requirements - the iron, hair dryer, team mobile phone and computer need the adapter. However, all the rest need the adapter PLUS the converter.
Just imagine the tangle of cords on, under, and around my desk - which is the location of the ONE electrical outlet!
What amazes me is that 90% of the power generated in South Africa is produced by coal!
ReplyDeleteStill, South Africa is home to the only nuclear power plant on the entire continent, just outside Cape Town. The utility accounts for approximately 5% of the nations energy supply, however, by 2025 the goal is to take that number to 25%.
The country has been pretty heavily penalized for exceeding its waste emissions reduction targets in recent years...imagine if all of that $$ could be put back into building the educational infrastructure instead!!
Love your blog - keep it up, my friend!!