Blackouts and high tariffs SA’s new reality, so plan for them

by Herman Warren

In Africa, resilience and ingenuity come as standard. Africans meet setbacks by making a plan and bouncing back. The need for Afro-adaptability is currently showcased by power blackouts and rising electricity costs.

Eskom makes no secret of continuing challenges. Senior executives forecast “tight” supplies for 2011 and 2012 until new capacity can be tapped. The Medupi and Kusile coal-fired power stations, each generating 4 800 megawatts (MW), won’t come on stream until 2012 and 2014 respectively.

Supply pressures could re-emerge in 2017 as a result of rising demand. Eskom projects average annualised demand growth of 3% over 20 years, doubling present demand levels of around 37 000MW by 2030.

Demand is only one problem. Local outages can be caused by faults, maintenance problems and cable thieves. South Africa’s power lines cover 300 000km, so there’s always a risk of local failure.

Prudent families will therefore plan for sporadic outages for some time to come.

The search for alternative solutions is not unusual in Africa. Nigerians reportedly spend 9% of GDP on private power generation, with about half the population dependent on generators.

South Africa’s response has been to launch a new build programme while encouraging consumers to reduce demand. By 2012, Eskom hopes to cut demand by 3 000MW, with a further 5 000MW reduction by 2025.

Government is also considering a rationing scheme to reward and penalise customers according to energy usage.

Fortunately, Africa has an alternative power source – the sun.

At a strategic level, solar power has a key place in South Africa’s future energy mix, but solar power can also be harnessed by families who can combat rising electricity tariffs and save energy by looking to the sun.

Solar cooking is one option, a significant one.

Eskom says the average household consumes 1100kWh of electricity a month. About 8% of that is used for cooking.

Solar cooking can therefore reduce energy use and power bills by about a twelfth. Electricity bills rose in 2010 by nearly 30%, with more hikes to come. This saving will therefore increase in significance.

A solar cooker is affordable and easy to use. Numerous meals can be cooked, including desserts and bread. In South Africa, solar cooking is a year-round solution. Even in August, we average 6.4 hours of sunshine a day, rising to 11.1 hours in December.

Smart South Africans facing new power realities will doubtless integrate various solutions into a holistic strategy to save energy and money. Solar cooking will feature strongly in these plans.

Supply concerns and rising tariffs are not going to go away … thankfully, nor is the sun.

§  Herman Warren is chief executive of Sun Ray Cooker, manufacturers of a South Africa-made solar cooker that has become a household accessory for those seeking energy and cost savings at a time of uncertain power supply.