The Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) and the Information Technology Association (ITA) met yesterday in a closed session to find ICT solutions to SA's power crisis.
Professor Barry Dwolatzky, JCSE director, says the workshop brought together a group of over 30 ICT decision-makers, thought leaders and stakeholders from government, industry and academia, to meet with members of Eskom's senior management.
A report on the possible solutions discussed will be drawn up from detailed minutes taken during the roundtable and individual task group sessions held during the meeting. Details of the report will be made available to government, Eskom and the media in the next month-and-a-half.
"The report will contain the content of the workshop and proposals/plans for actions to follow. Key aspects of the report will include common themes based on qualitative analysis, a selection of most promising ideas, potential implementation strategies and a proposed follow up to the workshop," says Dwolatzky.
According to ITA president Keith Anderson, delegates, including Tony Parry, Computer Society SA executive director; David Ives, Microsoft director: developer and platform group; and himself, sifted out a number of themes that they agreed would provide opportunities for further action.
Anderson says: "There was general agreement at the workshop that a wealth of information exists, both to inform consumers about how they can influence the national load on the electricity grid and to provide feedback to Eskom to predict the future energy needs of the country."
The ICT sector has many solutions already available or in development, which will be able to assist in creating greater awareness around energy saving and managing energy usage, he states. "It is merely a matter of coordinating efforts to ensure the power crisis is dealt with as quickly and as smoothly as possible."
The event was supported by a number of organisations, including Wits University, Eskom, Microsoft, GijimaAst and EOH.
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