Green economy industrialisation: Combating systemic loadshedding

This case study examines the implementation of a hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) system with Lithium-ion (Li-ion) storage at UV Tooling CC, a parts manufacturer in Cape Town, to mitigate the impact of systemic loadshedding on industrial production.

• Loadshedding in South Africa has significantly intensified by mid-2023, with accumulated downtime reaching 34.56 days by May 2023, representing 27% of the year to date. This systemic instability causes damage to manufacturing equipment, particularly in plastics moulding, and leads to losses in production and profit.
• 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), rising and unpredictable diesel prices have made the levelised cost of storage competitive.
• UV Tooling CC installed a hybrid system consisting of 150 kWp Solar PV (Risen and SolarEdge) and a 290 kWh rated capacity Li-ion battery storage system (Freedom Won) with a 550 kVA ATESS inverter. The system provides 2.5 hours of protection from loadshedding and utilizes peak shaving on time-of-use tariffs to reduce costs.
• The technical solution has resulted in a 47% reduction in UV Tooling CC's monthly electricity bill, with 73% of electricity consumption covered by solar and peak consumption reductions. The company avoided over R1.2 million in annual diesel costs, and the overall system has a 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} }