Economists expect more local businesses and households to invest in solar energy. According to Eskom, the country’s rooftop solar installations have doubled in the past year.
Eskom says while Gauteng has the largest installed base of solar, the Western Cape saw the biggest increase, with installed capacity tripling in 2023.
Economist Jannie Rossouw forecast solar installations to grow substantially in 2024, mainly driven by the commercial and industrial sectors.
“What we had in 2022 literally doubled for 2023 and if it again doubles for 2024 as I am expecting, it might get 2 or even 3 stages of load shedding out of the system. Load shedding would have been much much higher if it was not for the private generation that we are already seeing in households and businesses, so if we get more of this we could see less load shedding in South Africa.”
Crisis
Meanwhile, the Black Business Council (BBC) has described load shedding as a crisis that has pushed many households and business to invest in solar power.
Black Business Council CEO, Kganki Matabane says the high cost of load shedding saw many businesses invest in solar to protect their businesses.
“A lot of companies, especially financial institutions, have introduced what they call rent to own solar panels, where if you don’t have the initial capital to put upfront you can pay in instalments on a monthly basis and at the end of the term you own the system. So, that will allow people to at least be able to afford.”
