Mike Barker 🇿🇦

NVIDIA Launches Earth-2 Family of Open Models — the World’s First Fully Open, Accelerated Set of Models and Tools for AI Weather NVIDIA Earth-2 makes weather AI accessible worldwide at every stage — from processing initial observation data to generating 15-day global forecasts or local storm forecasts.

Can South African Agriculture benefit ?

Weather forecasting needed supercomputers

The NVIDIA Earth-2 open models — the world’s 1st open, accelerated AI weather stack — saves time & costs, and is enabling more regions to run application-specific forecasting systems

blogs.nvidia.com/blog/nvidia-...

Farmer-turned-MEC vows to strengthen NC agriculture Meet Lebogang Motlhaping, the new Northern Cape agriculture MEC who’s both a leader and a farmer. He promises to strengthen departmental systems, unlock stalled projects, and work hand-in-hand with producers to secure the province’s food future.

Meet Lebogang Motlhaping, the new Northern Cape agriculture MEC who’s both a leader and a farmer. He promises to strengthen departmental systems, unlock stalled projects, and work hand-in-hand with producers to secure the province’s food future.

Agoa extension a strategic win for SA’s value-added exports South Africa’s agricultural exports to the US reached US$536 million in 2024, signalling a robust commercial partnership. With processed goods like apple juice and ice cream leading growth, economist Buhlebemvelo Dube analyses how the Agoa extension opens opportunities for expanding value-added exports.

South Africa’s agri-exports to the US reached US$536 million in 2024, signalling a robust commercial partnership. With processed goods like apple juice and ice cream leading growth, economist Buhlebemvelo Dube analyses how the Agoa extension opens opportunities for expanding value-added exports.

🚀 From brain chips to moon missions, AI supercomputers, and robo-umps, IEEE Spectrum’s 2026 #TopTech issue is packed with breakthroughs worth watching in the year ahead.

🔗 https://loom.ly/1WB1vw4

@spectrum.ieee.org

International Building Performance Simulation Association | Welcome IBPSA advances and promotes building and environmental performance simulation to improve the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the built environment worldwide.

@nworbmot.bsky.social , we need to promote the bigger picture and open modelling via IBPSA.org
- please consider joining this LinkedIN Group -
𝗜𝗕𝗣𝗦𝗔 - 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
www.linkedin.com/groups/75552
>11,040 members - carefully curated spam-free resource

a) we need lots of folks enabled to think about innovative ways to drive it forward faster and b) we need high levels of general involvement to enable stakeholder buy-in for all the changes it brings. Open modelling can help get more folks involved, **that** is the big selling point.

Open modelling is much more about **process**, about involving existing and new stakeholders in the process of energy system planning. We don't have a perfect roadmap where we're going with the energy transition so

Long-term utopic vision: A set of open models recognised by industry, academia, government and NGOs. - Grid operator X uses model to show network expansion is required under assumptions Y - Academic Z shows changing regulation A would require less grid expansion - Regulator C adapts regulation correspondingly - NGO D shows in the model that stronger efficiency measures at reasonable cost could reduce build-out of onshore wind in an area of high bird and bat biodiversity - Government F takes note, increases incentives for efficiency measures - Public confidence in the Energy Transition rises This is difficult in the current fragmented model landscape, since many models are closed black boxes and there is neither comparability nor common sets of assumptions.

I want to make a few comments and highlight slide 6 in my deck.

Sometimes in the discussion around open energy modelling it's suggested that if everyone just switched from PLEXOS to an open source framework, or put their model data online, then we're done.

That's not how I see it.

Empowerment through openness: the future of energy modelling Discover how open-source energy models can drive change, transparency and public acceptance.

The recording of @agoraind.bsky.social's "empowerment through openness" webinar is online! 📺️ Keynote from me and PyPSA-SPICE intro by Samarth Kumar with discussion moderation by Rena Kuwahata.

www.agora-energiewende.org/news-events/... (includes video and presentation materials)

Comments below...

PODCAST: South Africa’s agricultural outlook for 2026 remains positive The sector was boosted by a year of La Niña rains, but much depends on the successful control of foot-and-mouth disease in the cattle industry

PODCAST: South Africa’s agricultural outlook for 2026 remains positive www.businessday.co.za/opinion/2026...

Africa’s largest agribusiness & technology platform comes to South Africa in 2026
11–13 March 2026 - Gallagher, JHB

Agritec Africa 2026 – 11th Edition (International Agriculture Technology Expo)
Graintech Africa 2026 – 6th Edition (Grain & Milling Technology Expo)

South African Agriculture is the almost invisible backbone holding our country together. Please consider signing up with us - 2026 only has only 365 days this year, and we have so much to do ! 😉
- Email - info@energyflexibility.org

A recent study in IEEE Access introduces an enhanced Vision Transformer architecture redefining #FacialExpressionRecognition — advancing tech for mental health, #HCI, and more. @ieeeaccess.bsky.social

🔗 https://loom.ly/hR42ckg

#IEEE #IEEEXplore #IEEEAccess

Now that the #IPCCAR7 authors have been announced I have been updating my lists.

Working Group III will have 15 Chapters & 222 authors. Those who have Bluesky accounts are now all on this list, which you can follow to keep up with their work and current research.

Working Group II list to follow.

Force of nature: Amoré Viljoen revives black-owned fruit farm In the male-dominated world of farming, Amoré Viljoen stands out. She’s the skilled producer guiding a community-owned farm toward financial success. Under her leadership, Lakeview Farm has gone from overgrown orchards to top-ranked yields. Her philosophy is simple: with the right management and a little heart, anything is possible.

In the male-dominated world of farming, Amoré Viljoen stands out. She’s the skilled producer guiding a community-owned farm toward financial success. Under her leadership, Lakeview Farm has gone from overgrown orchards to top-ranked yields.

And so Co-ops for emerging Farmers must roll out the #StokvelMicroGrid by the thousands

It's time our young go-getters help their communities run their own #StokvelMicroGrids !

SA has barely scratched surface of its rooftop solar potential Johannesburg alone has enough rooftop space to power the entire country through midwinter without coal. So why have installations slowed?

... and it's only the beginning for lekker local homemade #GreenElectroncs😀
www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025...

The All-Electric Farm is on the horizon 🙂

Edwin Starr - War (Original Video - 1969) YouTube video by Stream Crops

War, huh yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
( say it again )
- Edwin Starr, from 1969
youtu.be/01-2pNCZiNk?...

South Africa's iconic King Protea heads north as climate warms Protea flower grower Nico Thuynsma cultivates the blooms north of Johannesburg, 1 500km from their natural home at the southern tip of Africa

Protea flower grower Nico Thuynsma cultivates the blooms north of Johannesburg, 1 500km from their natural home at the southern tip of Africa.

Impacts of climate change on global agriculture accounting for adaptation - Nature Analysis of data on six stable crops, capturing two-thirds of global crop calories, allows estimation of agricultural impacts and the potential of global producer adaptations to reduce outpu...

"projected maize losses in Sub-Saharan Africa are largest in the most productive and climatically moderate countries"
𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

‪#LCOE - we live and die by this simple yet overly-manipulated metric 😀 If LCOE did include all costs, then #RoofTopSolar would be king !
(Why ? because there is no "delivery" costs to get those rooftop green electrons to your door)

#StokvelMicroGrid - a definition ( in South Africa) an investment society to which members regularly contribute in order to benefit from a community microgird a green energy collective for homes, business and electric vehicles, yet all still a good grid citizen a form of Energy Democracy that strengthens the circular economy of a community a method to increase the resiliency and self-determination of a community recognises that PV and electrical storage will become ubiquitous, and something that will simply happen in any infrastructure understands that energy (kWh) will be almost free, yet power (kW) and power flow will have value and often cost a pretty penny

Ndivile Mokoena and her Team should consider the #StokvelMicroGrid 🙂

" The vast majority of rate increases comes from the dramatic overbuilding of Distribution grids. Most are built to old norms to meet peak demand for 50 hours a year. Using Virtual Power Plants, batteries, grid enhancing technologies are 90% cheaper " they say for the USA. And for RSA ?

Our Young Lions - and Lionesses - need to start learning now how to repair and maintain EVs
( and Chinese EVs at that 🙂 )

Precisely. #SouthAfrica

Why should us 60million South Africans be the competition ? The Electrical Grid belongs to us, and we trust #ESKOM to run it fairly and properly on our behalf. -
@ESKOM
, please correct this asap🙂 ( We are all good grid citizens & we all seek beneficial coexistence with our grid

Uncertainty arises about electricity traders’ access to virtual wheeling over Eskom’s network The indication by State-owned utility Eskom that virtual wheeling is not yet available to licensed electricity traders is “surprising and disappointing”, EE Business Intelligence MD Chris Yelland tell...

What is #ESKOM playing at ? It's our Grid and we will decide on how it is used. ESKOM are there to manage it according to the will of us, the 60million South Africans
www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/unce...

A lesson for the South African Government and #ESKOM ?
bsky.app/profile/hann...