Eskom Strategy

[skeptic_SA]

Was wondering whist lane splitting through the traffic at FULL stand still last night:

Eskom needs to loadshed to reduce overall grid consumption?. And they know about this in advance of actually having to "flick the switch"? So its not something that creeps up on Eskom and catches them by surprise? Most people leave work at 17H00 and get home about 20 - 30 minutes thereafter? So law of averages would suggest that at approximately 17h30 the grid takes most strain as all the stoves get switched on and the baths get run fairly simultaneously. Why then do they commence loadshedding BEFORE 17H00? Just as we're about to start our drive home? And usually areas affected are the more affluent ones with the highest volumes of commuters at the busiest intersections in Jhb. Why don't they start in the outlying areas that do not have the highest volume of traffic per capita first? Start with those areas first and then work their way towards the busiest areas?

Is it to cause MAXIMUM frustration to the populous as they try to get home in their cars? Lets face it: The worst thing about loadshedding is the horrific effect it has on rush hour traffic. Sitting there in gridlock wishing Eskom had their act together? Sitting there thinking "I would give ANYTHING to get home". Is it fair assumption to think Eskom have engineered it this way so that the people will eventually beg NERSA to Just Give Them The Money Already To Sort Out Their Cr@p !

^THIS^

Or am I giving Eskom unnecessary credit for coming up with an ingeniously deviously conceived plan? :wtf:

 

[mmacleod]

How many people work half day, or leave work at 4 so they can beat traffic etc. What time do kids get home from school?
How many people have their geyser timers set to an hour before they come home to ensure hot water on arrival?

While the main peak might be at 17h00, I'm sure things start picking up quite a bit before then...

 

[genetic]

They monitor the national grid load at the nerve centre. It's not merely a case of flicking a switch at any given point, no matter how useless you think they may be.

 

[ellyally]

All traffic lights and street lights should be solar, should have rolled out a conversion process a decade ago... but hey, what do I know

 

[vaakseun]

All traffic lights and street lights should be solar, should have rolled out a conversion process a decade ago... but hey, what do I know

They tried installing solar, solar panels got stolen.

 

[vaakseun]

What they should have is battery backups buried beneath the tarmac. Most of the main traffic lights in Cape Town have it, but it should be standard.

 

[ellyally]

They tried installing solar, solar panels got stolen.

What was I thinking

 

[xumwun]

They tried installing solar, solar panels got stolen.

Just needs battery backup really, not sure why solar panels are needed.

 

[grok]

^THIS^

Or am I giving Eskom unnecessary credit for coming up with an ingeniously deviously conceived plan? :wtf:

If it was me I would have shielded the busy (and productive) areas exactly like you suggest, but it being Eskom Transformed I'd say definitely the second option.

 

[Jladan]

Perhaps the strategy is start load shedding early, trap as many consumers in their cars and thus spread out the increase in demand over time

 

[krycor]

Time zones would have helped buy them time and spread the load. In Gauteng you can literally see the different work hours people already adopted as a traffic avoidance strategy.. From 5h45am to 9am people start working and similarly from 15h30 to 6pm people leave work I've seen with the early folk being the northerners.

On a city scale this works but as a country the overlap still hits for things like electricity