Go off-grid as much as you can, as soon as possible

The writing is on the wall. Eskom has been weighed in the balances and found wanting.

No need for Old Testament clues, as King Belshazzar sought from Daniel. The message is clear: go off-grid as much as you can, as soon as possible.

The signs have been there since at least 2007, when Eskom announced it would implement a blackout schedule.

By 2008, Hello darkness my old friend was already a worn-out track. Yet we carried on, before and after the Zupta looters, somehow thinking Eskom would come right.

Even now, when Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter speaks, some people seem reassured.

They should pay attention to what he said this week: “There will be a shortfall in supply of electricity of approximately 4 000 megawatts over the next five years.”

It’s not okay. Another five years of rolling blackouts. Of shifting schedules and worrying about whether power will be restored at the advertised time. You don’t have to live like this. Nor do you have to emigrate, or “semigrate” to a better-run province.

Over the past few years, through increments, our modest household has been moving off-grid. A few solar panels and an inverter take the edge off load shedding. Sometimes we don’t even notice City Power isn’t there.

When you buy a car, you become more aware of similar models. The same phenomenon occurs when you buy solar panels. You notice they are proliferating. In Joburg, the trend is well under way. Across the globe too, as costs come down.

According to Forbes, “solar module prices in the US and around the world are plummeting, and this has far-reaching implications …”

Ward councillors in Johannesburg spend much time dealing with electricity supply problems, which multiply when Eskom implements blackouts.

There are some wealthy people in ward 90 which, in 2019, was listed as having all 10 of the most expensive streets in Gauteng.

Listening to such folks complain about electricity and water outages, it is tempting to exclaim how easily they could go off-grid. Once you are set up, the monthly bills are reduced.

Pikitup isn’t an opt-out service. You are billed, regardless of whether you use it. So, too, with the monthly sewer charge. Rates must also be paid.

But electricity and water costs can become negligible. Throw in a skedonk 4×4 to navigate potholes, and you’re all set for Survivor Joburg. There is a range of electricity consumers, from habitual nonpayers and illegally connected izinyoka, to pensioners and others battling on expanded social packages.

Plus the “missing middle” who get no special deals but somehow scrape through. Through its unreliability, Eskom is shedding paying customers, driving them to alternative sources.

One day, it will be left with stragglers and hangers on. Municipalities owe Eskom R35 billion. Non-viability beckons and will arrive more quickly if De Ruyter is ousted on racism charges.

Another five years of load shedding and Eskom will see that place where the sun don’t shine. Avoid the nether regions. Go solar.

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