Do engineers have the key to solve South Africa’s energy crisis?

[rpm]

Do engineers have the key to solve South Africa’s energy crisis?

The power and energy debate in South Africa continues to draw attention from world-wide players and is sparking contest between industries seeking solutions to the dire situation. Paul Fitzsimons, energy expert and General Manager of GIBB Consulting Engineers Power & Energy sector believes that we need to look at the past to determine our future.

There is no one size fits all universal solution to South Africa’s energy deficiency challenge as each country has its own unique systems and geographical concerns. South Africa needs to find its own solution which inevitably is a balance between sources of supply and available technologies in which skilled engineers have a big part to play.

 

[Sonic2k]

They don't want the skilled engineers, they will rather bring in the Cubans.
As per usual it always comes down to race.

 

[Pitbull]

You don't need to be an engineer to do the following:

Don't add more new houses to the grid unless you have provided additional power supply. Simple as that. Build power stations first then more houses.

 

[Sonic2k]

you also don't need to be an engineer to be able to get basic training in how to do MAINTENANCE i.e. change transformer oil, or monitor it for DGA which will indicate potential problems.

 

[agentrfr]

We're working on it. Give me another 6 months and I'll need some guinea pigs for testing purposes.

 

[WaxLyrical]

The engineers that maintained Eskom up until the crises are from the Apartheid era and are thus obsolete.

They'd rather consider Sipho with his diploma to aid transformation.

 

[Pitbull]

The engineers that maintained Eskom up until the crises are from the Apartheid era and are thus obsolete.

They'd rather consider Sipho with his diploma to aid transformation.

I don't agree. This is more a planning issue than it is a BEE/AA problem. Sure it might have played a small factor. The biggest one is lack of planning for the future by Eskom. They keep on needing hand outs from Government because they can't plan for shyte.

 

[tinman8493]

As an ex-employee of Eskom, I know that it's because of the old managerial incentive and very top heavy structure of the business that has resulted in it getting to this state. The staff are more than technically competent. The structure of the business also doesn't reward the technician or basically anyone in a technical position - only management.
However, everyone in SA underplays the technician's importance in engineering.

 

[Stokstert]

Just get the flippen workers do their jobs and finish the bloody powerstations or must the engineers do it for them.

 

[WaxLyrical]

I don't agree. This is more a planning issue than it is a BEE/AA problem. Sure it might have played a small factor. The biggest one is lack of planning for the future by Eskom. They keep on needing hand outs from Government because they can't plan for shyte.

Part of the problem is the ANC and other comrades masterminding how to benefit from the billions that's going to be spent on solving the issues. BEE is absolutely a factor.

You naive to think that tender fraud and massive corruption did not take place in the process.

 

[koeksGHT]

You don't need to be an engineer to do the following:

Don't add more new houses to the grid unless you have provided additional power supply. Simple as that. Build power stations first then more houses.

They should play sim city

 

[Spizz]

I'm an engineer and I've helped to build 6 power stations in the last 6 years.

Yes, you've guessed it. I work overseas.

 

[Spotja]

I'm an engineer and I've helped to build 6 power stations in the last 6 years.

Yes, you've guessed it. I work overseas.

Lemme guess, Middle East?

 

[Spizz]

Lemme guess, Middle East?

Usually Africa but at the moment I'm in Oman. Close enough

 

[grok]

They don't want the skilled white engineers, they will rather bring in the Cubans.
As per usual it always comes down to race.

Just leaving this here.

Everyone knows what's wrong with Eskom & it started with BEE.

 

[Voicy]

As an ex-employee of Eskom, I know that it's because of the old managerial incentive and very top heavy structure of the business that has resulted in it getting to this state. The staff are more than technically competent. The structure of the business also doesn't reward the technician or basically anyone in a technical position - only management.
However, everyone in SA underplays the technician's importance in engineering.

As a fellow Ex employee, this.

Also, registered 2007, 7 posts. what the hell man?

 

[frailwings]

I don't agree. This is more a planning issue than it is a BEE/AA problem. Sure it might have played a small factor. The biggest one is lack of planning for the future by Eskom. They keep on needing hand outs from Government because they can't plan for shyte.

There is a problem with BEE. I work at a consulting engineering firm and black BEng grads in particular are given promotions before they are qualified for them. Many colleagues have moved off to Eskom for Principal Engineering roles or Engineering Management and PM roles after 2-3 years experience. Engineer-In-Training used to be the job title at that level.

On top of that the field of reliability and maintenance engineering is completely ignored for the most part in this country. When you have a country that can have a total black out if one plant goes offline unexpectedly and the plant is running with a linear reliability where if one part fails the entire system fails. You have an technical problem, and your technical management are largely under qualified due to BEE.

 

[Petec]

We have G.I.S here... Our guvs just never implement the projected solutions.

Also, look at the OPEC meeting couple of weeks ago, where they did not cut production. They also said that they are already working on solar systems and aim to basically stop oil production for power, and be a massive power exporter of solar generated power.

The world is shifting forward as usual, except this a$$hat backward dirtwater

 

[Chris.Geerdts]

Catchy title, and I am an elec engineer myself, but I fail to see how the article points to engineers having the key to solving the crisis