South African’s have been undergoing the after effects of a perfect-storm that hit Eskom in 2008 which comprised a combination of factors, including rising costs, falling revenues, crumbling infrastructure and decades of mismanagement and corruption all playing a part in what has been referred to as the Eskom Crisis. Since then, the country has been victim to a series of rolling blackouts, known as Loadshedding by locals.
In the midst of this crisis, homes and businesses have been left with the options of dealing with the blackouts through alternative power sources such as UPS’ , generators and battery backups, and also solar power, which has increased in popularity in recent years due to ever-increasing focus on environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Solar power is a great power alternative and offers users a variety of benefits as an effective and environmentally-friendly alternative for when the lights go out. Other alternatives such as the UPS (unlimited power supply) and inverters have been great interim measures but do not perform in terms of sustainability when it comes to ongoing blackouts. The other alternative, generators, comes with a risk of costly damage to electronic equipment over the long term, if they are not implemented correctly, whereas solar power offers simplicity and sustainability, making it a great long-term solution.
How Does Solar Benefit Your Home Or Business?
Homes
- Access to power during periods of loadshedding
It’s difficult enough to get through the to-do list on a daily basis, without having to have unnecessary interruptions that make completing that school project that’s due tomorrow an impossibility or that interrupt dinner plans with the family, these issues are eliminated with solar because homes can remain powered on when Eskom is experiencing downtime. - The burden of costs related to loadshedding damage reduced or completely diminished
The surges in power that happen when the power goes on or off during loadshedding is often something that cannot be prevented and although there are measures to reduce the risks, many homes have experienced a bombed-out fridge because of a power surge. With the right installation, solar can remove this risk completely.
- The value it adds to your property
When it comes to selling a property, there are features that can increase or decrease your sell price. Solar power is a feature that can substantially increase the value of your home when you are ready to sell.
- Little-to-no ongoing costs
Once a solar power system has been installed, it will require little-to-no maintenance at all, especially if there are no batteries being used and will provide your business with electricity without the noise-and-air pollution caused by generators, for 25 to 40 years.
Business
- Increased productivity during loadshedding can lead to increased revenue in businesses
Businesses that are able to continue operations as usual will be able to see an increase in productivity and potentially revenue which otherwise would have been lost if business operations are halted during periods of loadshedding.
- Solar power makes for a great investment case for businesses
Solar power is not only an affordable alternative to the national power grid that is rapidly reducing when compared to the grid electricity which is constantly on the rise, but is a great investment for businesses (and homes) as it’s return on investment is achieved in a few short years after which the organisation can benefit from effectively free power, and furthermore also allows businesses to qualify for savings on CO2 (carbon) tax.
- Little-to-no ongoing costs
Once a solar power system has been installed, it will require little-to-no maintenance at all, especially if there are no batteries being used and will provide your business with electricity without the noise-and-air pollution caused by generators, for 25 to 40 years.
- Participation in the “Green” battle against carbon emissions
Any business that uses solar power is reducing their consumption of fuels and thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. This gives the company the ability to express its participation in the fight against pollution which acts as a great PR and marketing tool.
