Load Shedding

We live in a world where each of us carries a device that gives us access to the collective world's knowledge.  The computing power in today's smartphones required a room full of electronics just a few decades ago.    But it's not true that everyone on the planet has a smartphone.  Here in South Africa the disparities are glaring, the conflict and the wounds are fresh.  The issues touch every aspect of life here, but that is a topic for another post.  

Here in this cosmopolitan international travel destination there is a basic infrastructure limitation that affects virtually everyone, rich and poor: The electric utility has found themselves unable to meet demand for electricity.  The only solution is to cut power to large sections of the cities.

It's an interesting comparison to the state of the power grid in Venezuela.  Both countries have fallen short in maintenance, planning, and growth of their power infrastructure.  But Venezuelans face unpredictable, multiple-day blackouts in the midst of political instabilities.

To their credit, the South African public power utility, Eskom, openly accepts responsibility and explain that the only way to prevent complete failure of the national grid is to institute rolling blackouts, known as Load Shedding.  Power is cut according to a predetermined schedule by sections of the city.  The schedule frequency changes as the magnitude of supply & demand changes.  

It appears quite orderly and accepted by the people and businesses.  I saw a sign outside a coffee shop that says "Espresso available during load sharing".  Grocery stores use generators, and the system insures that hospitals and other critical operations aren't cut off.  The cell phone and mobile data network is always up...meaning people turn to their cell phones to know when to expect no electricity. Set the app for the section in which you work or live, and the schedule is right there. 

The other night we sat around the table, with candles, and laughed about the irony of super high tech helping us plan dinner.  Not just to see the menu, or make a reservation, but to make sure we give them enough time to get their kitchen running after their power was restored.