Johannesburg - Power utility Eskom has announced that it would be implementing stage 2 load shedding as of Tuesday afternoon.
Load shedding comes as a result of a lack of generation capacity due to a breakdown of a single generation unit at Amot Power Station and three at Tutuka Power Station.
This bout of power cuts is a stark reminder of the unpredictable and unreliable nature of South Africa’s power supply.
Africa’s most industrialised economy is faced with a power crisis that has negatively impacted economic growth as businesses suffer, due to power disruptions preventing them from meeting production targets.
So far this year, the country has experienced 54 days of national load shedding which translates to 1299 hours without electricity for South African citizens and businesses.
As a result, many frustrated South Africans are turning to alternate power sources, resulting in a boom in small-scale solar installations.
Entrepreneur Rapula Kobane, has installed solar panels at his business premises in Pretoria East as he has little faith in Eskom’s ability to supply the power he needs to sustain his business.
“We have targets that we need to meet. We supply many companies with steel products and we need to be able to meet our deadlines or else we lose out on money,” he said,].
Kobane has installed solar panels at his home as well to ensure he has an uninterrupted supply at all times.
“When you come home after a long day at work, you just want to be able to relax and enjoy the comforts of your home. In recent months it had become increasingly difficult to do so because of the constant power cuts,” he said.
According to Reuters’ analysis of customs data, South Africa imported solar PV panels worth nearly 2.2 billion rands, in the first five months 2022 alone.
Speaking to Reuters, Frank Spencer, spokesman for the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association feels the government has failed to realise the value that can be added by small-scale generating units
"It's completely unrecognised by the government as to how big an industry it's become," said Frank Spencer.
"It's a silent revolution," he added
Tabi Tabi, who owns solar solutions company, Granville Energy, received 349 inquiries for rooftop systems.
"Over the past, I'd say 24 months, we've seen a continuous increase, month on month in demand," he said.
"We're seeing interest across the board.”
While it is evident that alternative power solutions like solar energy are the way to go, for many South Africans and businesses cost seems to be the biggest deterrent.
ABSA and Nedbank offer dedicated small-scale solar financing products, but rooftop systems remain out of reach for most poor South Africans such as Prince Mkhize.
Mkhize works at a car wash in Alexandra township North of Johannesburg.
When load shedding strikes Prince can’t operate his compressor to wash vehicles. The outages also mean his vacuum cleaner is out of commission resulting in him losing customers.
"We're standing here eight hours with no cars," he said.
“When there's load shedding, there's no work.”
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