Load-shedding sparks search for alternative energy sources

06 October 2015

 

With load-shedding unlikely to go away anytime soon, renewable energy is increasingly being seen as a viable and reliable option for desperate power consumers in South Africa.

 

This was one of the messages that emerged from the first day of the 25th annual convention of the Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities of Southern Africa (AMEU).

 

The convention, staged in partnership with the City of Johannesburg, has attracted scores of local and international electricity supply experts who have converged at the Sandton Convention Centre to find lasting and sustainable solutions to South Africa’s electricity challenge. With topics ranging from the reliability and viability of alternative energy sources to industry governance and regulation, as well as load-shedding from municipalities’ perspectives and capacity building and energy saving, the convention has been characterised by robust debate and informed discussions on issues such as the debilitating effects of load-shedding.

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau urged delegates to find alternative and cheaper solutions to electricity problems facing municipalities in particular and South Africa in general.

 

Delegates also heard that the lack of legislation was not enabling municipalities to engage in renewable energy solutions. A sobering thought, delegates heard, was that South Africa’s electricity grid was not designed to accommodate “disruptive” energy sources.

 

Panelist Bertha Dlamini of EOH warned that municipalities risked losing revenue as more and more of their customers were beginning to embrace alternative sources of energy. She said it was imperative for legislation to be speeded up to create an environment enabling renewable energy to flourish so municipalities could meet the demands of their customers.

 

“Municipalities need to look beyond the basic need to supply electricity,” she said.

 

The convention also learnt that load-shedding was a burden on many municipalities’ budgets, with millions being spent on overtime pay. Other load-shedding-related problems included the loss of investors, service-delivery protests, security threats and more crime taking place under the cover of darkness.