Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
Divorce, Maintenance, Personal Injury, Medical Negligence
I was quite interested to read a recent survey indicating that the fastest growing job, in the United States at least, is that of a solar installer. In other words, so many people are changing to solar and having solar panels on their company roofs or houses that they need more and more installers. That is without even having the pleasures of Eskom and load shedding to deal with! I think you will see more and more people in South Africa moving towards that, with the backup systems that I initially had at the office, now being able to be replaced by more expensive, but cost-effective over time solar systems. Not only do you end up paying Eskom a lot less money each month, slowly paying off your investment, but when the power goes off, your life carries on.
I think one of the realities that all of us in South Africa must face is whatever the solution is to the electricity problems, it takes about 12 years just for a nuclear power station to be built and burning coal in bigger and bigger amounts is not a solution either. The faster more of us start getting off the grid and relying more on ourselves, the better.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Monday 29-Apr-19
Post a Comment
Comments
Kathryn said:
on Tuesday 11-Jun-19 01:59 PM
I think that with Eskom being the way it is, every household in South Africa should seriously consider both solar power and gas stove tops / ovens. We cannot wait for the electricity issue in this country to be resolved, a more proactive approach should be adopted.
candice said:
on Friday 31-May-19 09:25 AM
Solar is great to have for any business and for a home, lots of business had to close down from all the load shedding we have been having especially the smaller companies they loose out the most. i think more and more people will start investing in Solar panels for there companies
Michelle D said:
on Friday 24-May-19 08:58 AM
Solar power is fantastic. It is initially quite pricey to install but after that there is very little expense. It would be great to see the increased use of this power generating method in future.
Claudia B said:
on Tuesday 21-May-19 08:28 AM
Solar is growing big and fast in SA. A few years you heard one or two talk about Solar but today everyone is talking and installing Solar.
Bianca N said:
on Thursday 16-May-19 09:51 AM
Apart from it being environmentally friendly, which is great, it also hugely benefits business in S.A. The amount of money lost when there is a sudden outage due to "maintenance" at power stations is such a loss for our economy. Solar panels definitely are a great investment. We don't know if Eskom would ever be able to sustain the electricity in S.A again. It is already shaky enough as is. Eskom has burnt approximately R5bn worth of diesel in less than a year. This is definitely not sustainable. It is only a matter of time before Eskom switches the lights off, never to turn it on again.
Zandelee said:
on Thursday 16-May-19 08:22 AM
One of my friend's fathers, recently started a business installing solar panels and it really kicked off. More and more people are having solar panels installed these days. It does cost a lot at first but the amount of money you save in the long run makes it definitely worth it.
Liz said:
on Tuesday 14-May-19 04:43 PM
The solar industry is also rising in South Africa, often times on the highway you can see the carports of big companies covered in solar panels. It is so true that one should not continue to rely on coal stations, when it is very clear that it is not sustainable and not environmentally friendly.
Sinead said:
on Tuesday 14-May-19 02:47 PM
Solar energy is definitely the way forward, however, new ways of producing power should be implemented as well. Imagine creating power from something else that the country produces a lot of. Even if it is unnecessary waste, it could benefit in another form.
Dune said:
on Tuesday 14-May-19 02:39 PM
Solar has definitely taken off in SA, there are so many solar plants coming up, Malls, Car Parks, Companies going green, its the way to go these days. We are currently looking at going off of the grid and going green. Its a huge investment but at the end of the day and in the long run it will save you a lot of money especially with the especially with the heavy Eskom tariff increases
Sarah said:
on Tuesday 14-May-19 12:57 PM
Solar industry should be growing in South Africa with all the load shedding that is happening with Eskom , but a lot of people can't afford it.
Ashleigh said:
on Monday 13-May-19 09:03 AM
I hope that all businesses and houses will go solar as soon as possible. It will be not just more cost effective but help our environment too.
Nikita said:
on Friday 10-May-19 04:25 PM
Solar is definitely the way to go. Not only because it is an investment but also because it is better for the environment . People need to start making better choices for the environment. The Government also needs a wake up call.
Jadine Esterhuizen said:
on Friday 10-May-19 03:14 PM
It is an expense but then its worth every cent.
Helen said:
on Thursday 09-May-19 11:31 AM
Installation of Solar system in South African household is the way to go in our days. Just it is still very expensive for people to do the installation! Would be nice if government would assist with the installations!
Cornelie said:
on Thursday 09-May-19 09:40 AM
Solar Pannels is the biggest investment any household or company can get.
Melissa van Tellingen said:
on Tuesday 07-May-19 09:35 AM
I really believe that more and more people will start using alternatives like solar. With the current situation in SA and Escom we don't have a choice anymore. Like stated, life must go on and businesses can't suffer any linger with the power outages. It's the future for businesses in SA.
Henrietta said:
on Monday 06-May-19 11:23 AM
With the power blackouts in South Africa, Solar is our next answer. Hopefully it will be worthwhile and not a failure. The pricing is just a bit extreme but like your blog stipulate it's an investment and if you think of all the business time and money you lose when we have "load shedding" when the solars kicks in you won't lose money or time. We will never know when and if Eskom will ever be floating again.
Natasha said:
on Monday 06-May-19 10:06 AM
I think solar is a great idea if only everyone can do that but its so expensive,maybe they should try and take that in consideration that not everyone can effort it and its more eco friendly.
Thabitha said:
on Monday 06-May-19 08:08 AM
Changing to Solar will limit the load shedding and as for companies they must always have a back up.
Jolene said:
on Saturday 04-May-19 05:39 PM
Going off the gird can be expensive but it is the way to go, all business should consider it. Load shedding is a reality for South Africa.
Mathilda Du Preez said:
on Friday 03-May-19 12:23 PM
Anything to reduce you carbon footprint is great.
Although solar can also be associated with Pollution (toxic materials and products used when manufacturing) it is far less compared to other sources of energy.
Daniella said:
on Friday 03-May-19 10:53 AM
I'm glad that the fastest growing job is solar power installations, with the rate that our planet is deteriorating I am glad that people are taking that next step in lessening their carbon foot print. Next step is for all massive companies to band plastic.
Fikile said:
on Thursday 02-May-19 12:06 PM
Solar is a good way to go but then again it uses sunlight for it to work but what happens if the is no sun for more than 2 days or for even a day, what will people do? and with the previous weathers we were having and also load shedding, this is the kind of thing we should always take to consideration and always re-think everything.
Angelique Jurgens said:
on Thursday 02-May-19 10:53 AM
I remember learning about alternative energy sources and renewable sources in school. You really didn't think anything of it or that there would really be a problem in the future. Technology has really evolved massively since my school days and its amazing that Solar can be used as large-scale energy production and power generation for both homes and offices. Costs of installation are outweighed by the money saved in energy bills from traditional suppliers however, not effective in un-ideal weather conditions. Solar cells are also prone to deterioration over time. Nonetheless it is far better to install the panels than rely on the unreliable Eskom.
Bianca Taljaard said:
on Thursday 02-May-19 07:26 AM
I think solar is the way to go, if it is done correctly, pity it is so expensive
Megan said:
on Tuesday 30-Apr-19 04:54 PM
I agree more and more people in South Africa would move towards that but the cost doesn't make sense for an individual but more for a company.
Brenda Du Toit said:
on Tuesday 30-Apr-19 02:02 PM
Solar is the way to go today.With all this Low shedding going on in South Africa.But i must say Solar is very expensive hopefully they will look into that.
Victoria said:
on Monday 29-Apr-19 04:48 PM
I think there is definitely going to be an increase in a need for people who can install solar. Solar is the way forward but it is expensive. I don't think many people can afford it for now.
Alexis said:
on Monday 29-Apr-19 04:12 PM
I am curious as to how all of this pans put and the effect it will have on electricity, incl the cost saving part. It is quite a process to say the least - but the world has become very self aware and it is good thing for people to want to make a change to the enviroment.
sandra said:
on Monday 29-Apr-19 11:38 AM
Going off grid is absolutely a good idea, however the installation is rather expensive and I think it should be cheaper to install because if everyone gets an opportunity to have solar panel, we are saving the resources and we pay less for using electricity. It is a win-win situation for everyone at the end of the day, including our environmental surroundings
Nicolle said:
on Monday 29-Apr-19 11:36 AM
This is the way forward. It is environmentally friendly and a cheaper option (in the long run). I myself am slowly but surely going off grid.
clare said:
on Monday 29-Apr-19 08:52 AM
I am always one for a positive, this is great as this creating new Jobs and also taking car of the planet. As I think the using power from the sun will be much better then making more Chemical Gasses that destroy the world.
Michelle Smillie said:
on Monday 29-Apr-19 08:41 AM
Solar power is definitely the future of the world, the perfect alternative to conventional energy sources.
brumilde said:
on Monday 29-Apr-19 08:21 AM
Lets hope they start getting cheaper, as the normal person wont be able to afford it. But i also think its wonderful that so many people prefer to use what was given to us.
david said:
on Monday 29-Apr-19 07:18 AM
i recently had someone have a look at my own home - a modest 3 bedroom cluster house. R180 000 was the ball park figure for a complete system. luckily my electricity bill is already quite low at approx R1500, so at the moment going full solar is a cost i am not prepared to pay, but certainly the inverter and a couple of batteries to get through load shedding is the way to go.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
