The author hasn’t paid for electricity for nearly a decade after installing his own small solar system in 2009. Here are the options to follow his example.
Regular power interruptions started at least 10 years ago when problems at Eskom first surfaced. Since then, the situation has become worse every time
Lately, a new trend has started to emerge. Not only are households and businesses investing in their own generating capacity to ensure electricity during power failures, they are increasingly aiming to become totally independent of Eskom.Rapid advances in technology have pushed renewable energy sources from an expensive option that only environmentalists advocated to an economically viable alternative worldwide.
Electricity from the grid is used when the house or business uses more electricity that its system generates, for instance, during the evening. If the application succeeds, it will break Eskom’s monopoly and open the door to free-market competition and result in the development of more independent power producers. Other municipalities are investigating similar moves to reduce their dependence on Eskom.
“With solar panels that have a 25-year production warranty, it’s very much like buying 25 years’ worth of prepaid electricity by paying for five years’ electricity at current prices.”
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