Make solar energy affordable in South Africa

South African Mark Moodley believes that the installation of a domestic solar energy system has helped maintain his 81-year-old mother alive.

She spent three weeks in intensive care last year, and now returning home in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, she needs an oxygen concentrator to help her breathe.

But the country’s erratic electricity supply could not be invoked.

“There were days when we would be without electricity for six hours. I had to use a car battery to manage its oxygen tank, but it did not last long and you would have to sit with it with its arms raised to try to obtain oxygen in its lungs,” Moodley told the BBC.

“Sometimes we had to rush it in the hospital when it didn’t work. It was frightening.”

At the time, doctors told the family that she might not have long to live. But a regular diet gave them more time together.

“It was a life buoy. I don’t have to check it constantly all night. I know that its oxygen tank has power no matter what,” he said, his voice trembling.

Despite recent improvements in the South African electricity network, there are still breakdowns.

Having a regular electricity supply has become a privilege in the country, which has undergone almost 15 years of “load shedding” – planned national power failures introduced to relieve pressure on fragile infrastructure.

In addition to endangering certain lives, the crisis has damaged economic growth and contributed to job losses.

South Africa depends strongly on highly polluting coal for its power – it represents around 80% of all the electricity produced. But in recent years, he has loared restrictions on the solar generation on a small scale and has created tax incentives for installation.

The country is also looking for more investment in renewable energies to help the passage of coal.

At the national level, those who have financial means have gradually taken their houses and their companies outside the network, investing in solar energy systems which require a first expenditure from $ 14,000 to $ 19,600 (£ 10,400 at £ 14,500).

This price means that this option is far from the scope of most South Africans. Those who scratch cannot take advantage of the country’s sun and invest in clean and reliable energy.

But Mr. Moodley was able to turn to a payment program that kept the lights on and that the medical equipment works.

His electricity bill dropped $ 80 per week – savings he hopes to use to extend what he has and finally move completely out of network.

The system he uses comes from Wutility, a local start-up founded in 2019

For domestic users, the most basic package costs $ 60 per month – and above all no initial prohibitive payment – making solar energy more accessible.

The company claims to have identified a gap in the market – affordable solar solutions adapted to small businesses and low -income households.

“South Africa has traditionally had high access to electricity – but access does not mean anything if power is not reliable or affordable,” explains Vincent Maposa, founder of the company and former energy analyst.

“We had to develop products that are both fit and financially accessible.”

Although solar energy is not new in South Africa, the Wutility business model includes a monthly mobile phone style payment plan, allowing customers to distribute the cost.

For years, load shedding has been used as a last attempt to prevent the total collapse of the national grid, after decades of poor management of the ESKOM utility state.

While current failures have relaxed for certain urban centers, poorer communities and businessmen continue to undergo forced reductions while aging infrastructure is struggling to meet growing demand.

For some in the cantons, the concerns about theft and practicality also dissuaded people from solar equipment, but humidity has also designed light and flexible panels that can be installed on common fragile roofs in many of these areas.

“We found a thin layer panel that sticks on the roof. If someone tries to take it off, it is tearing itself apart and becomes worthless. It was important for areas where theft is a problem,” explains Mr. Maposa.

“In terms of efficiency, they behave as well as traditional panels.”

The energy unit, including an inverter, which converts the power generated by the usable electricity panels, and a battery that works when the sun does not shine, is fixed in a large steel box weighing approximately 300 kg which loops on a wall.

The team says it reduces the risk of theft and avoids drawing attention to high crime areas.

The merchant Julius Koobetseng recently passed the solar which may have saved his little grocery store.

In a gray hat and a thick blue jacket to keep the cold away in the winter of the southern hemisphere, it stains cans of drink in a brilliant refrigerator remembering the way in which frequent power cuts almost destroy its means of subsistence.

“The meat was triggered, dairy products were spoiled. Sometimes we would be without power for four days,” said the 43 -year -old man.

But since March, his shop in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, has used the paid solar energy system to keep the lights and refrigerators.

Some owners of small businesses have turned to generators of rescue diesel, but Mr. Koobetseng, who has had his shop for 13 years, was attracted to the more environmentally friendly option.

“The electricity cuts seriously affected small businesses. I know that many in this area which had to stop because they could not follow uncertainty,” he said.

“We live from month to month, depending on what the company brings. If you cannot guarantee power, how do you even plan the future?”

Now, he does not worry when the power goes out, which was “a huge relief”.

It costs his business $ 250 a month, but Mr. Koobetseng’s activities have resumed thanks to reliable power.

“People know that my shop remains open even when the power has come out. Some people just come to load their devices, but even if they are there, they also buy things,” he said with a smile.

For him, the advantage does not consist in reducing its electricity bills. This is consistency.

“Solar gave me control. I can plan my day knowing that I will have power.”

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