Anton Eberhard (@antoneberhard) 's Twitter Profile
Anton Eberhard

@antoneberhard

Energy policy & investment specialist & advisor. Professor Emeritus, Power Futures Lab, GSB, University of Cape Town

ID: 353825394

linkhttps://www.gsb.uct.ac.za/powerfutureslab/ calendar_today12-08-2011 18:00:24

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80 countries generated more than 50% of their electricity from clean sources in 2024, including 47 countries that reached more than 75%.

80 countries generated more than 50% of their electricity from clean sources in 2024,
including 47 countries that reached more than 75%.
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Important reading from OIES “Finally, the renewable energy transition triggers profound system-level transformations that extend far beyond simple technology substitution. Traditional fossil fuel systems operated through well-defined boundaries, clearly demarcated

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The availability of Eskom Hld SOC Ltd power generating units has averaged between 55-58% this year, way below their generation recovery plan. Diesel fired peaker and emergency plant have been running hard in recent days. More load-shedding / power cuts on their way in South Africa?

The availability of <a href="/Eskom_SA/">Eskom Hld SOC Ltd</a> power generating units has averaged between 55-58% this year, way below their generation recovery plan. Diesel fired peaker and emergency plant have been running hard in recent days. More load-shedding / power cuts on their way in South Africa?
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An initial response to this announcement that South Africa’s coal-based national power utility Eskom Hld SOC Ltd wants to start a renewable energy business might be positive but then these questions arise: 1.  With its highly indebted balance sheet, currently suviving on fiscal bailouts,

An initial response to this announcement that South Africa’s coal-based national power utility <a href="/Eskom_SA/">Eskom Hld SOC Ltd</a> wants to start a renewable energy business might be positive but then these questions arise:
1.  With its highly indebted balance sheet, currently suviving on fiscal bailouts,
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The performance of South Africa's national power utility Eskom Hld SOC Ltd improved last year, although it still has a long way to go. The availability of its power stations is currently down to 54% (with more than 13GW or 28% of its fleet broken on average). The utility remains also in

The performance of South Africa's national power utility <a href="/Eskom_SA/">Eskom Hld SOC Ltd</a> improved last year, although it still has a long way to go. The availability of its power stations is currently down to 54% (with more than 13GW or 28% of its fleet broken on average). The utility remains also in
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There have been five instances of loadshedding or power cuts in South Africa in 2025, which demonstrate how tight the system is, with little headroom to absorb multiple power unit failures. 13 GW are currently broken. When an additional 2GW fail, we get stage 2 loadshedding

There have been five instances of loadshedding or power cuts in South Africa in 2025, which demonstrate how tight the system is, with little headroom to absorb multiple power unit failures.  13 GW are currently broken. When an additional 2GW fail, we get stage 2 loadshedding
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Each time Eskom Hld SOC Ltd cuts our power (this is the 5th bout of load-shedding this year), the narrative is undermined that South Africa’s national utility alone can restore supply security. Energy minister Dr Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa needs to complete the breakup of Eskom by establishing an

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South Africa’s national power utility Eskom Hld SOC Ltd has not improved its performance since last year: 28% of its power plant is broken, last week totaling 14 095 MW - above its self-imposed limit of 13 000MW beyond which loadshedding becomes likely. Compared to last year, it’s

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Given these cost increases, it's hard to understand the hype around small modular nuclear reactors (still in development, with none yet available commercially). South Africa's energy minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is also punting SMRs but says he is informed by science,

Given these cost increases, it's hard to understand the hype around small modular nuclear reactors (still in development, with none yet available commercially).
South Africa's energy minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is also punting SMRs but says he is informed by science,
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South Africa’s national power utility Eskom Hld SOC Ltd still has a long way to go to improve its performance. More power units are broken and offline (28% of its power generation fleet) than the equivalent period last year and it’s burning more expensive diesel in its emergency OCGTs to

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The picture that “baseloadists” just don’t get. This is what a modern power system looks like: maximize cheap solar and use batteries and natural gas to meet evening peaks The Economist

The picture that “baseloadists” just don’t get. 
This is what a modern power system looks like: maximize cheap solar and use batteries and natural gas to meet evening peaks <a href="/TheEconomist/">The Economist</a>
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South Africa’s power system is severely constrained and further breakdowns could lead to more power cuts. Eskom Hld SOC Ltd has more than 45GW of installed generation capacity yet less than 29GW is available to meet demand, now rising above 28GW. More than 14GW is broken, above Eskom’s