Nolwazi Zulu, a young South African engineer who works in the design team of a Renewable energy Tech firm, is playing a role in the country’s transition to solar energy in efforts to combat frequent power blackouts.
Young engineer Zulu says that when she was a teenager she decided that she would “go out and do something” about the regular power cuts that bedevil her community, BBC added on Tuesday 29th of November.
Art Solar, the South African firm that is the sole South African-owned solar panel manufacturer, has won one of the government’s solar panel bids.
The South African government has been turning to other power sources to work on solving the country’s over a decade and half-long power issue, which have resulted in frequent blackouts called “load-shedding”.
The government have been working on boosting the amount of solar power generation in the country, as it started encouraging firms in the sector to participate in biding.
It currently wants to secure 1,000 megawatts from solar power, which is enough to provide electricity for approximately one million homes in the country.
This is in addition to a desire to boost onshore wind power generation by 1,600 megawatts, according to BBC.
Despite the country getting an average of eight to ten hours of sun every day, currently only 11 percent of South Africa’s power comes from renewables, mostly wind, and just 0.9 percent comes from solar.
In addition to helping the national power grid, solar panels can bring power to the many rural homes that are not connected to the main grids, said Zulu.
Zulu expressed her hopes to open an Art Solar branch in her birthplace, Ulundi and bring solar grids to her village. Solar power is cheaper and better than living through load-shedding, and can change so many lives, added Zulu.
The government’s solar efforts have given the company the confidence to open a new facility that is capable of producing 650,000 panels per year, said general manager Viren Gosai.
One recent high-profile contract for Art Solar was providing the solar panels last year for a private hospital, the Ahmed Al-Kadi Hospital in Durban, and the hospital is now protected from the risk of power cuts.
“Our aim is to empower rural communities, particularly women and the youth contributing to economic growth, power though is still an issue,” the current trustee and resident of the Earthise Trust, an eco-farming project in rural Free State province said.
South African environmental campaigning organization, Earthlife Africa has been calling for more usage of renewable energy in the country for some time.
South Africa should have moved towards solar power long ago, time have been wasted and climate commitments that were made in international spaces have not been met, said Earthlife director Makoma Lekalakala
Durban-based Art Solar started 12 years ago, building solar panels under license from German firm Bosch. It now manufacturers panels in partnership with fellow German company Talesun for both the South African and international markets.
