Water and power cuts prompted by reduced rainfall and drought in Southern Africa have caused major problems for business.
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Articles on electricity supply
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Digitalisation and better energy storage are reshaping the electricity market.
Advanced small modular reactors, known as SMRs, will probably have many advantages over older technology. But it's not yet known how they will stack up against other sources of electricity.
You may already have a smart meter at home, which monitors your electricity use at 30-minute intervals. But until you can access that data yourself, you could be missing out on the best power deals.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected a Trump administration proposal to reward coal and nuclear power plants for storing fuel on-site, as a way to make the power system more reliable.
Solar PV and wind energy have overtaken coal as the leading sources of new electricity generation worldwide, with falling prices and new storage technologies making clean energy ever more attainable.
It would be better to proactively restructure South Africa's electricity sector to spur innovation and investment and reduce costs before another crisis hits and further derails the economy.
Solar power has enormous potential, but provides only about one percent of world electricity today. An engineer explains the many steps it takes to make solar panels that are efficient, clean and cheap.
Africa still has numerous electricity challenges to overcome, but several countries are getting it right when it comes to providing electricity to their people.
Top contributors
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Professor of Engineering, Australian National University
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Scott L. Montgomery is a Friend of The Conversation.
Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
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Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Michigan State University
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Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York
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Professor at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town
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Lecturer in Geography and Deputy Director Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne, University of Melbourne
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Associate Member, Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter
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Senior Economist and Interim Associate Director of Social Science and Policy, University of Michigan Energy Institute, University of Michigan
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Professorial Research Fellow, London School of Economics and Political Science
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Postdoctoral researcher, London School of Economics and Political Science
