South African power cuts prompt scramble for renewable energy - Solar water heaters to fill the gap?

The scramble to mitigate an electricity crisis is likely to accelerate the diversification of the country's energy mix and its move towards renewable energy sources. A mass roll-out of solar water heaters could alleviate the burden on the national grid

From an article by Mathabo le Roux of the South African Business Day Newspaper. You can read the full article here

ESKOM’s scramble to mitigate an electricity crisis of gargantuan proportions is likely to accelerate the diversification of the power utility’s energy mix and its move towards renewable energy sources.

With the commissioning of additional coal-fired and nuclear plants several years away before they will bring relief to SA’s overburdened power system, Eskom is turning to alternatives to bring more power in faster.

Rationing and voluntary target savings, by which industrial customers reduce their consumption in return for compensation at times when Eskom experiences power shortages, are two of the short-term solutions Eskom is considering.

But the power utility is also looking at the mass roll-out of solar panel heaters to alleviate the burden on the national grid...

...A study commissioned by Eskom has shown that a comprehensive solar geyser programme could remove 4747MW from winter peak load and a significant percentage of electricity load from morning and evening peaks all year round. Such a programme could also achieve annual electricity savings of 12125GWh . The programme would cost some R28bn but the study points out that this is less than the cost of building a coal-fired power station generating 1700MW at current prices.

A national solar geyser programme, the study proposes, would see 2,5-million solar geysers installed for households in the lower-middle to high income brackets.