The 49M initiative aims to inspire and rally all South Africans behind a common goal - save electricity and create a better economic, social and environmental future for all.

Saving power is really about changing our attitudes. By simply making small changes in our everyday life, collectively we can make a massive difference.

Who is 49M? It is government, Eskom, big players in industry and commerce, and it is you – all 49 million of you South African citizens.

Be a part of the solution, make a difference and take the 10% pledge.

Essentially, electricity cannot be stored, and at the moment the needs of our thriving country are putting our resources under strain. This is why we need to save electricity wherever we can.

You may not realise it, but we're all connected, and by acting together we can achieve amazing things. If we all reduced our energy usage by just 10% it would be as effective as building a brand new power station. That’s the power of 49M, that’s the power of you.

If we all constantly asked ourselves - at work or at home - how we could cut back, then we will succeed. It’s about changing our habits ever so slightly, and the good news is that there are a lot of little things that you can do to make a huge difference. (See our Energy Saving Tips).

Electricity is a valuable and rare resource that allows government to build and run the services we expect. It allows industry to compete and prosper. For every individual it provides the safety of light, the opportunity to learn and the benefits of 21st century healthcare – among many other things we take for granted. It is unthinkable that we should allow our supply of precious energy to be drained dry.

As both government and Eskom are taking every possible step to do their bit, we are calling on every South African to help out. When it comes to saving electricity, everyone wins, so there is no excuse not to do it.

You have the power to make a difference because you are one of the 49 Million.

South Africa produces around 45% of all Africa’s electricity and since electricity fuels progress, we can be proud of this.

However, there are drawbacks. As 90% of our electricity is still coal generated, we sadly have become a major atmospheric polluter per person/capita. We expel around 200 megatons of carbon dioxide each year - ranking us as a high emitter globally. It is clear cleaner solutions are needed.

Eskom is currently exploring many different ways of generating electricity including solar power, wind turbines and tidal power. But for now coal is the most cost-effective way for South Africa to generate power.

This is why Eskom have embarked on a massive building programme to add some 12 000MW to its capacity by 2019. However power supply from the two new coal-fired stations - Medupi and Kusile - only started in 2012 and will be 100% available in 2019.

In the interim we face a dilemma. There is no realistic way to store large quantities of electricity, so the amount being fed into the grid must always match what the customers are taking out. This varies not just from day to day, but from minute to minute.

As the demand increases, more stations must be brought into play. This is planned in advance because starting-up and shutting-down operations are slow and complicated. Additionally, some stations generate electricity more cheaply than others do.

The main peaks usually occur at about 06:00 in the mornings and lasts until about midday. A second peak period is normally from about 17:00 until 21:00. The morning demand is due to many main industries such as mining, iron and steel smelters, railways etc. coming into production.

At these peak times the grid is put under severe strain. This is when the importance of the 49M initiative is evident. When the whole country works together, everyone wins.

Coal

Around 90% of South Africa’s energy currently comes from coal. It is the most cost-effective and abundant source we have available, with our coal-fired power stations using over 90 million tons per annum.

Thermal Power

Coal, oil, gas and nuclear fuels are used to heat water in reactors and convert it into steam at high temperatures and pressures. Releasing the hot steam (between 500°C and 535°C) then turns a large magnetic turbine, generating electricity.

Hydropower

In South Africa, hydropower is critical in the “storage” of electricity. Essentially, water is stored behind a dam wall and is released to drive huge turbines, which are connected to generators. Using excess power, water can be pumped back into the reservoirs, to be released in times of emergency.

Wind power

The force of wind is the most promising renewable energy source. The windmills’ blades are designed to capture the wind as efficiently as possible. These are connected to generators where electricity is then generated.

Geothermal power

The earth is an inexhaustible reservoir of natural heat. In a few places (Iceland, Italy, New Zealand and Kenya) underground springs are hot enough to produce steam near the surface of the Earth and this may be worth tapping for electricity generation.

Solar power

Solar cells, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, are a clean and free source of power. However, due to high installation costs and the large scale of panels needed to produce useful amounts of energy, Eskom only supplies solar energy to fulfil household needs.

Tidal power

Gravity from the sun and moon raises and lowers the sea twice a day, and gives tides of up to 8 metres. Electricity can be generated through a barrage (a special dam built across an estuary) which lets the rising tide build up a body of water, then releases the water through its turbines.

Wave power

Floating generators capture energy from waves. These generators use the up and down motion of the waves to force compressed air through bladed turbines. As the air flows either up or down, it spins the turbines, creating energy.

Electromagnet Generators

A coil, energised by direct current to produce a magnetic field, is mounted on a revolving rotor. Wrapped around this rotor is another series of coils that captures the rotating magnetic field and generates the electrical charge.

Transformers

In transformers, alternating current is led through a primary coil of wire, which produces an alternating magnetic field in the ring-shaped core of soft iron. This in turn creates a voltage in a secondary coil, from which the output current can be drawn.