Engineering News | Columnist | Kelvin Kemm

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Kelvin Kemm

Dr Kemm is a nuclear physicist and is the CEO of Nuclear Africa (Pty) Ltd.

Kemm is the chairperson of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation. He sits on the Board of Advisers of the Committee for A Constructive Tomorrow, based in Washington DC.

He is also a Board Member of GoNuclear Inc, and EFN: USA both based in Colorado, USA.

Exec@nuclearafrica.co.za

PE ideally placed for nuclear manufacture

By: Kelvin Kemm 26th September 2014 I went to Port Elizabeth for a couple of days. I had received various requests to travel to the coastal city. So, accompanied by my project coordinator, I went. →

The negative impact of renaming streets

By: Kelvin Kemm 19th September 2014 The obsession that some people have with the renaming of places, streets and institutions is one of the most unreasonable sets of actions to have come out of post-1994 South Africa. Who are the people doing this? If one has a look, it is only some politicians. →

Stiffer punishment needed to stop theft

By: Kelvin Kemm 12th September 2014 Recently, a number of people around me have been the victims of robberies. These incidents are irritating, not only because of the value of the items stolen, but also because of the amount of subsequent work required to replace them and to mend the damage caused by the thieves. →

Mooted tax on sugar-sweetened beverages an insult to science

By: Kelvin Kemm 5th September 2014 I read about a proposal to tax sugar-sweetened beverages in an attempt to reduce obesity and I also watched a TV debate on the issue. This is one of the most misguided and totally unprofessional proposals that I have ever seen. I am being harsh but, believe me, I am highly irritated. The stated... →

Nasa taking space travel to another level

By: Kelvin Kemm 29th August 2014 The US's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has rightfully achieved a major place in the history books. Nasa took humans to the moon, created the International Space Station and built the Space Shuttle fleet, besides many other achievements. →

Acquiring problem solving skills will help learners master maths

By: Kelvin Kemm 22nd August 2014 There has been quite a fuss in the press of late about maths and science teaching in schools. A study carried out by researchers showed the maths pass rates to be poor. What's more, it revealed that the pass rates at more senior levels were worse than at more junior levels. →

New forum to aid collaboration among nuclear designers

By: Kelvin Kemm 15th August 2014 In July, a Nuclear Designers Forum was launched. This proposal was initially formulated by the company Resonant Nuclear, of Centurion. The company discussed the idea with Nuclear Africa and, together, we have started the Nuclear Designers Forum. It is a Web-based interactive system. I will... →

SA has the opportunity to be a nuclear supplier to the world

By: Kelvin Kemm 8th August 2014 In her Budget Vote speech, Energy Minister Tina Joematt-Pettersson confirmed that nuclear power is a central feature in our future energy mix. She also pointed out that South Africa had a track record in running a nuclear programme. →

Some claims about renewable energy tend to be wild

By: Kelvin Kemm 1st August 2014 It is amazing just how much incorrect information about energy is spread in public, and the public just seems to believe it. Even worse are the journalists who write this stuff – do they really believe it or are they writing and giggling with glee at how many readers will be conned? →

African conditions need African solutions

By: Kelvin Kemm 25th July 2014 A while ago, I was at a function, talking to a group of people, when I made the comment that what we need is African solutions for African conditions. The one fellow groaned and said: "Oh, no, not that again." I then realised that he had totally misinterpreted what I had meant. Well, maybe I... →

Plastics ban plan misses the point

By: Kelvin Kemm 18th July 2014 I read in a newspaper that a particular day in July was International Plastic Bag Free Day. Nooo, it does not mean that, on that day, you received free plastic bags. It means that, on that day, you are supposed to not use plastic shopping bags at all. In fact, the article I read appealed to... →

Nuclear is good by itself, doesn’t need CO2 reduction prop

By: Kelvin Kemm 11th July 2014 I was invited to attend the Atomexpo 2014 nuclear power exhibition and expo in Moscow. I was invited as a guest of State-owned nuclear company Rosatom. →

Despite huge upfront cost, nuclear is a good option for South Africa

By: Kelvin Kemm 4th July 2014 Nuclear power has been very much in the news lately. President Zuma mentioned nuclear power in the State of the Nation Address and said that South Africa needs to move on nuclear. The new Minister of Energy Tina Joemat-Petterson later also mentioned the need for nuclear. As I have said more than... →

Misguided aversion to fossil fuels poses malnutrition and starvation threat

By: Kelvin Kemm 27th June 2014 People are exposed all the time to a barrage of propaganda about global warming. Very few even know of the existence of numerous short cold periods, or Little Ice Ages, that have occurred. The most recent one occurred at the time of William Shakespeare and Jan van Riebeeck. In fact, some... →

Bafana’s problems do not lie with its coach

By: Kelvin Kemm 20th June 2014 It has been announced that the contract of national soccer team coach Gordon Igesund will not be renewed after August. To my mind, this is a big mistake and it is not too late to reverse the decision. Igesund should stay. I found the comments of South African Football Association (Safa) president... →

EIAs for wind farms too simplistic

By: Kelvin Kemm 13th June 2014 In April, a single-engine Piper aircraft flew into a wind turbine and crashed. Four people were killed. The incident seems to have gone virtually unmentioned in the media. The accident occurred in the US, in South Dakota.There was one person, the pilot, in the aircraft and he worked for local... →

Lack of team dynamic Bafana’s undoing

By: Kelvin Kemm 6th June 2014 The South African national soccer team, Bafana Bafana, has not been performing well for a while now. I have watched a number of games and I have my opinions about what is going on. I will return to this in a moment. →

How truth becomes an inconvenience for activists

By: Kelvin Kemm 30th May 2014 It is an interesting phenomenon how activist groups operate. I have watched them for years. Virtually all of them turn into political organisations. What I mean is that they try to manipulate the public to help them to win. Winning becomes their primary focus. They and the public then lose sight... →

Food production now and in the future needs chemicals

By: Kelvin Kemm 23rd May 2014 I was invited to be guest speaker at an international nematology conference in Cape Town, the sixth International Congress of Nematology. Nematology is the study of worms in agriculture. There was a large turnout of over 500 people from around the world. I was not invited as an expert in worm... →

Driver attitude, not speed, the main cause of accidents

By: Kelvin Kemm 16th May 2014 The Easter holiday period is now past, and yet again the death toll on the country’s roads has been tallied. This is always a sad thing to do. It always saddens me, but I also experience irritation. My irritation stems from the various authorities. I have written about this often before. I listen... →

The dangers of not knowing what one doesn’t know

By: Kelvin Kemm 9th May 2014 Skilled people know what they know. Probably more important, however, is that skilled people also know what they do not know. So, a brain surgeon, faced with a complex case that he has never dealt with before, knows that it is wise to contact other professionals in the field and to discuss... →

Gauteng govt spot-on on taxi licensing

By: Kelvin Kemm 2nd May 2014 I read a story that said the newly elected president of the South African National Taxi Council (Santco) had pointed out that half of the taxis in Gauteng were operating without licences permitting them to carry fare-paying passengers. →

Strikes being organised with damage in mind

By: Kelvin Kemm 25th April 2014 The waves of strikes that we have seen in South Africa for some time now just have to stop.Nobody is benefiting, not even the workers who strike for higher pay. The reason is that, as soon as one group succeeds in getting a pay increase, the next group strikes. Eventually, the general prices of... →

Changing Easter dates a case of church politicians wrestling with the moon’s motion

By: Kelvin Kemm 18th April 2014 In 2013, Easter fell at the end of March. Good Friday was March 29 and Easter Sunday March 31. In 2014, the dates shifted a lot, with Good Friday being April 18 and Easter Sunday April 20. Churches around the world have an Easter problem, which they would like to resolve. →

A bit of questioning will solve many of our problems

By: Kelvin Kemm 11th April 2014 Sir Isaac Newton was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He developed amazing mathematics, such as calculus, and also developed laws of physics related to motion, gravity, light, heat and more. Newton was a great intellect – there is no doubt about that – but what was it really which has... →

Great minds come together at Nuclear Africa 2014

By: Kelvin Kemm 4th April 2014 The Nuclear Africa 2014 nuclear power conference unfolded extremely well and according to plan. The conference was designed to achieve objectives and was intentionally laid out with a plan in mind. →

Congrats to gold miner on malaria initiative

By: Kelvin Kemm 28th March 2014 Congratulations have to go to gold mining company AngloGold Ashanti for the amazing malaria programme that the company has piloted in West Africa. The programme, which the company started in Ghana, is now spreading to other African countries. Malaria is still one of the world’s largest killers –... →

Projecting output of wind, solar as their theoretical maximum is dishonest

By: Kelvin Kemm 21st March 2014 I was invited to be a guest speaker at a National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) seminar in Bloemfontein. The topic was energy supply. All types of energy were addressed, mainly from the scientific perspective. A few things that worried me were that a few people, mainly the renewable-energy... →

Gauteng’s e-toll project a shocking disgrace

By: Kelvin Kemm 14th March 2014 I was at a meeting in Sandton with a group of people. It started first thing in the morning and a group was standing around, having morning coffee before proceedings started. The topic of traffic came up, and a few people noted that there seemed to be fewer cars on the freeways, now that... →

Olympics a joy to watch, thanks to super close-ups, replays of the drama

By: Kelvin Kemm 7th March 2014 It was interesting watching some of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. I watching on TV and so had the benefit of the super close-ups and the replays of the drama. →

Spirit of Africa gets into chess grandmaster’s soul

By: Kelvin Kemm 28th February 2014 The World Champion chess grand master Garry Kasparov has just completed another tour of a number of African countries. He managed to either visit or meet representatives from 20 African countries. →

The world is much bigger now, thanks to advances in technology

By: Kelvin Kemm 21st February 2014 There is an expression that our world is becoming a smaller place. Yes, modern communications and travel does make it considerably easier to travel from the bottom of Africa to the ports of Europe than was the case half a century ago. Now one can send messages over this distance in seconds rather... →

Carbon capture, storage a waste of time and money

By: Kelvin Kemm 14th February 2014 Here I sit, enjoying a long warm summer in Pretoria. Some nights I go home, and in the dark I jump in into my swimming pool and lazily float around, looking up at the millions of starts shining brightly in a cloudless sky. →

100% pass rate would erode credibility of matric exam

By: Martin Zhuwakinyu 7th February 2014 There was much celebration nationwide when the results of the 2013 Grade 12 school exam, still commonly referred to as matric – showed a 4% improvement over the 2012 results. The overall pass rate came out at 78%. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshega was extremely pleased and there were... →

Nuclear is the way to go

By: Kelvin Kemm 31st January 2014 I was looking at an electricity distribution map of Germany and Scandinavia. It was an animated map and it showed the movement of electricity on an hour-by-hour basis. What struck me was that one cannot speak of the grid of one of those countries in isolation. On an hour-by-hour basis,... →

All elements of a system must work harmoniously, or else . . .

By: Kelvin Kemm 24th January 2014 If you are operating a system, it is important that all elements of the system work together in harmony, or the entire system can fail. With this in mind, let me relate my lunch experience at the Mugg and Bean at Killarney Mall, in Johannesburg. I had been at a meeting and wanted to get together... →

The flip side of modern technology

By: Kelvin Kemm 13th December 2013 Modern technology advance brings many benefits, but, almost always, a technology advance also brings with it the potential for negative side effects. People interact with technology and so the effects, both positive and negative, bring changes to the way people interact with one another.... →

Nuclear cost reality

By: Kelvin Kemm 6th December 2013 The philosophy of protecting the public against unexpected incidents arising from the advance of new technology is very good. As a general rule, new technology brings great benefit to mankind, but at times downside snags also come with the package. Frequently, such downside snags are not... →

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