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Without an alternative power source, it is increasingly unlikely that businesses will survive South Africa’s electricity crisis.
It was this harsh realisation that prompted the Kelston Motor Group to invest heavily in solar solutions at its dealerships, including at its Volkswagen premises in Kariega.
According to Kelston operations director Peter McNaughton, there was no longer any choice but for businesses to adapt as the country continued to battle crippling loadshedding.
Eskom has imposed daily loadshedding since October 31 last year, making it well over 100 days of scheduled blackouts. For dealerships and other businesses, failing to act now could have dire consequences.
Kelston has upgraded more than half of its 21 dealerships to solar power after it became clear that its after-sales division was being impacted.
“We simply cannot repair or service vehicles without electricity. With the current levels of loadshedding and the uncertain future, we had no option but to upgrade,” said McNaughton.
“While loadshedding costs weighed heavily on production and productivity, blackouts also brought emotional costs, including low staff morale, increased frustration, and a general lack of positivity.
“We are fortunate that we operate only in the day, which saves on the need to purchase major power-storing units. For example, a major retail chain recently disclosed it had spent R560-million on diesel in the last few months to keep its operations going during stages five and six loadshedding.”
While Kelston did not have a crystal ball and there was no way of telling whether South Africa could alleviate the power crisis, McNaughton believed there was a serious case for businesses to start producing their own power.
“At the end of the day, the availability of power is a reality, and it looks like loadshedding will be with us for some time.”
