Keyword: Energy efficiency

The Age of Cheap Oil Has Ended

Picture: madaboutasia/Flickr Glenn Ashton - While motorists feel the pain of the recent ascent of the oil price to near record levels, the underlying reality of rising oil prices has profound implications right across society. Barring an unprecedented oil discovery, the world will never again see the return of cheap oil. Oil prices will certainly never return to the levels of the 1990s, or even the first half of the first decade of this century. The rise in oil prices is the harbinger of a major restructuring of modern...

Eskom's New Build Programme and Tough Choices Ahead: The Future Rests on One Good Decision

Picture: Pittaya Saliem Fakir - Eskom released its 2008/2009 financial results last week showing a record loss of R9.7bn – the highest in its history. About R7bn more was spent on coal than the previous year, raising questions about Eskom’s dependence on coal as a source of power. Eskom is forced to chart stormy waters like a beleaguered ship. Its ‘New Build’ programme won’t come cheap. It already has a funding gap of R80bn for new coal-fired power stations. The only way to resolve this is to...