Preventing blackouts with alternative energy
Alternative energy sources will pro-actively prevent Eskom's blackouts
WITH Eskom’s diesel reserves bordering on empty it seems apparent that load shedding is here to stay.
As the leading power supply company in South Africa is not producing any immediate solutions to the problem, it is best that people find pro-active ways to take the power into their own hands.
‘For businesses and households to stay afloat they will have to go the way of alternative energy and spend a lot of money doing it,’ says Generator and Plant Hire Richards Bay branch manager, Nic Oosthuizen.
On average investing in a good generator that will keep all appliances running would cost R90 000. To keep the generator running is quite expensive as well, as it runs on diesel.
For wallets that can’t hold the weight of generator power, solar energy is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option.
An uninterruptible power source (UPS) based system can run computers, sales points and lights without interruption for two to six hours.
Costs for a good quality UPS ranges from R2 800 to R6 000 depending on the watt size.
‘A system like this will last you at least six to eight years before you will need to change the battery bank,’ says managing director of EasySolar in Richards Bay, André Tokai.
With South Africa fairly quickly becoming the heart of darkness, independent power supply seems to be the way forward from this blackout crisis. Businesses and households must indulge alternative energy sources or get through 2015 by using the candle light system.
