Green economy industrialisation: Combating systemic loadshedding

UV Tooling CC, a parts manufacturer in Cape Town, installed a 150 kWp solar PV system and 290 kWh Li-ion battery storage to combat systemic loadshedding. The system provides 2.5 hours of protection per loadshedding event and utilizes peak shaving to reduce costs. This investment has resulted in a 47% reduction in monthly electricity bills and avoids over R1.2 million in annual diesel costs, with an expected payback period of 7.5 years.

• Systemic loadshedding in South Africa has intensified, with accumulated loadshedding time reaching 34.56 days by May 2023, representing 27% of the year to date. For manufacturing SMMEs, this causes loss of profit, production losses, and damage to equipment, specifically in plastics moulding.
• While the initial investment cost for Li-ion storage (R4 000 to R10 000 per kWh) is higher than that of diesel generators (R2 000 to R4 000 per kWh), unpredictable diesel prices have made the levelised cost of storage competitive.
• UV Tooling CC installed a hybrid system consisting of 150 kWp solar PV and a 290 kWh rated capacity Li-ion battery storage system (with 261kWh at 90% Depth of Discharge). The system provides 2.5 hours of protection from loadshedding and features a 2-hour recharge time.
• The hybrid system has led to a 47% reduction in monthly electricity bills through a combination of solar covering 73% of electricity consumption and peak shaving on the time-of-use (TOU) tariff. The company avoids more than R1.2 million in annual diesel costs, with a projected system payback period of 7.5 years.

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). Green economy industrialisation: Combating systemic loadshedding. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Smart-Energy-Case-Study.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Green economy industrialisation: Combating systemic loadshedding. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Smart-Energy-Case-Study.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Green economy industrialisation: Combating systemic loadshedding |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Smart-Energy-Case-Study.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendgreen, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Green economy industrialisation: Combating systemic loadshedding}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Smart-Energy-Case-Study.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }