Load shedding is a measure of last resort taken by Eskom (South Africa’s largest producer of electricity) when power demand begins to exceed possible supply. To avoid a nationwide blackout and total collapse of the power grid, Eskom rations the available supply between different districts according to a published schedule. Load shedding is essentially the shutting down of specific power grids in order to save electricity and distribute it to other areas. There are multiple stages of load shedding ranging from level 1, which is almost unnoticeable, to level 10 which is basically a complete shutdown of electricity delivery to South African homes and businesses alike.
The South African energy crisis or load shedding is an ongoing period of widespread national blackouts of electricity supply. It began in the later months of 2003 towards the end of Thabo Mbeki’s second term as president, and continues to the present. The South African government-owned national power utility, and primary power generator, Eskom, and various parliamentarians attributed these rolling blackouts to insufficient generation capacity. According to Eskom and government officials, the solution requires the construction of additional power stations and generators.
South Africa’s return to deeper electricity outages is due to an increase in repairs at the state power utility’s plants that are needed to improve the reliability of the grid, according to the nation’s electricity minister. Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. has implemented record power cuts this year mainly due to breakdowns at its coal-fired units. So-called stage six load-shedding, which removes 6,000 megawatts from the grid to prevent a total blackout, returned on Tuesday for the first time since mid-July. Electricity demand declines at the end of South Africa’s winter, which creates a window to increase maintenance, and the schedule for that work needs to be implemented as planned, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said in an online briefing on Tuesday. “There will not be a shortcut to the ending of load shedding,” he said. “Maintenance is the right thing to do.” Planned outages, during which scheduled maintenance is conducted, increased by about 30% over the course of five days to reach 6,683 megawatts on Sept. 1, according to a presentation given during the briefing. That decreased to 5,467 megawatts on Tuesday.
Stage 6 load shedding means that Eskom will need to shed 6,000 MW of power from the grid in order to prevent it from collapsing. This will result in additional unscheduled power cuts wherever necessary and outside of Eskom’s published schedules. Stage 6 load shedding is implemented when there is a shortage of up to 6000 MW in generation capacity.
Addressing load shedding in South Africa requires a multi-pronged approach that involves diversifying the energy mix: South Africa needs to diversify its energy mix and invest in renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power. Upgrading and expanding infrastructure: Eskom needs to upgrade its aging power plants and invest in new infrastructure to meet the growing demand for electricity.
Load Shedding Solutions
There are also some simple load-shedding solutions that you can implement yourself at home to minimize the impact of rolling blackouts. These top load-shedding solutions for your home will help households resume their normal activities to some extent. Some smart load-shedding solutions include:
- Home Inverter System: A home inverter system is one of the best solutions to power your household appliances or small office.
- Gas: Getting a gas hob installed is one of the best load-shedding solutions there are. For the benefits it provides, it’s a fairly inexpensive exercise that you will never regret.
- Battery Power: Having fully charged batteries at hand can be used to power lights as well as other small appliances when load shedding hits.
- Solar: Going solar is one of the best load-shedding solutions you can have in sunny South Africa. Whether it’s a solar hybrid system or a totally powered solar solution to get off the grid, you just can’t go wrong with using the sun to power your home in one way or another.
- Generator: A generator can be used as a backup source of power during load shedding.
Load shedding in South Africa is an ongoing issue that requires both short-term and long-term solutions. While individuals can take steps to minimize the impact of load shedding on their daily lives, addressing the root causes of the problem will require investment in renewable energy sources, upgrading infrastructure, and addressing corruption and mismanagement within Eskom.
