Solar energy solutions company GoSolr is giving schools and small- and medium-sized businesses access to subscription-based solar power, thereby reducing their reliance on the national grid.

GoSolr CEO Andrew Middleton says that it is important for South Africa to increase the percentage of solar-based generation in its energy mix, as this will ensure that businesses can avert the negative effects of increased tariffs and the unreliability and carbon emissions associated with supply from State-owned power utility Eskom.

He adds that increased flexibility in power supply options, such as wheeling solutions, will allow independent power producers (IPPs) to create viable business models, enabling consumers to choose between pre-paid, post-paid and time-of-use billing models.

“People who are willing to generate and sell power should be able to do it, and those activities should facilitate a marketplace. It actually becomes very dynamic in different parts of the world, where you can choose between four or five different power producers, and power price changes by the hour,” says Middleton.

Turnkey Solar Solution

Middleton says that GoSolr has replicated its residential sector solar installation model to accommodate business and industry, offering commercial customers a turnkey product and service solution that reduces reliance on the country’s grid.

Firstly, he says that GoSolr conducts an in-depth analysis of the site, identifying the customer’s specific requirements and the best solution for their operations from an efficiency and cost savings perspective.

“If we are talking about an office space or a warehouse, it is quite easy to identify a solution that will minimise the cost from the grid, reduce reliance on the grid and protect the client from unwanted outages.

“For a building with manufacturing processes or heavy machinery, an in-depth analysis of the power demand and power quality is needed to identify whether certain measures are required to improve on overall energy efficiency and power quality before installing a solar solution,” he notes.

When GoSolr has obtained the full scope of the project, and financing has been confirmed, the solar solution installation process is completed.

“Once installed, we will monitor and maintain the system to ensure optimal performance over time,” Middleton adds.

Going forward, he predicts that the road to stabilising and properly regulating IPPs and the trade of solar power – as well as to cementing the practice of and regulations around wheeling – will be “rocky”, given that some government entities and Eskom are hindering the processes related to licensing alternative, renewable-energy provision.

However, there have been noteworthy developments regarding the acceptance and use of renewable energy that is readily available.

“The momentum is shifting after the release of new regulations requiring utilities to facilitate the export of excess solar power to the grid. This is very welcome as it shows that the country is serious about using a resource that is readily available and will contribute to alleviating strain on the national electricity network,” he concludes.