Despite the fact that the country has been running at 30% capacity and less since lockdown began, you would think that the pressure on our electricity grid would be close to zero. A drive around Gauteng would have shown you otherwise.
As an essential services business (mostly on the refrigeration side to The Vaccine Bureau), driving around as a delivery vehicle/technician/fill in the position here, there were a great many traffic lights out as well as suburbs lacking voltage during these times of lockdown. The issue did not seem to improve at any stage during the various stages of lockdown.
I must digress briefly and comment that for the first time EVER since I have lived in Johannesburg could you really see the impact the human virus has on this beautiful planet. From a customer in Midrand, I could clearly see Krugersdorp, the Magalieseburg and even the Voortrekker Monument. What really stuck in my minds eye was that from clearly being able to see Sandton CBD from the self same customer in Midrand, once lockdown dropped to level 4, you could barely make it out from a closer position on the highway (Allandale as opposed to New Road). That when the traffic was still fairly light. Perhaps Covid is Earth’s immune system trying to rid itself of the virus killing it.
The lockdown presented the perfect opportunity for Eskom to enact crucially required R & M on an aging and neglected infrastructure and the claims are that this was done but the window has already closed and an opportunity not fully utilised. This brings me to an article written a month after lockdown indicating that load shedding will be back and quite possibly with little to no difference.
Can a business really afford to pay excessive amounts for electricity (another increase is being implemented as soon as lockdown is over) and when it is intermittent and unreliable at best. Sizing your system according to your precise needs is crucial in determining the number of panels and storage in the most cost effective manner. This CANNOT be done without metering your usage. Your Eskom bill does not paint the picture of your various usages and peaks per phase no matter how well you graduated top of your engineering class. There are numerous options in terms of finance and capital purchases that can be tailored to suit your business, be it small or large, to hold the power in your own hands or rather batteries.
ciao
R
https://www.energize.co.za/companies-need-to-plan-for-power-outages-after-lockdown/