Khomani Desert San - Northern Cape, South Africa
The San are the aboriginal people of South Africa. Their distinct hunter-gatherer culture stretches back over 20 000 years, and their genetic origins reach back over one million years. Recent research indicates that the San are the oldest genetic stock of contemporary humanity.
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An Alternative to Tanked Water Supply
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I think back to the first online adverts that I used to see for renewable energy systems like Solar Panels and wonder if they were the reason for a lot of scepticism.
Those adverts promised free electricity without mentioning the investment needed to generate said free electricity.
Now to the uninitiated the word ‘free’ conjures up easy street life with no worries and no special skills required.
I recall also the start of loadshedding 1.0 in South Africa – the number of quotations that I did every day was simply horrendous. Almost as horrendous as the strike rate of less than 1%.
I tried mightily to increase the strike rate by pre-qualifying client enquiries and warning prospective clients that in order to kick Eskom to touch they would need to spend – in those days – a minimum of R340 000 if they wanted battery storage of 14 kW plus an inverter and solar panels.
But, the desire to get FREE electricity blinded them to the real expenses.
Our country missed a really good opportunity to get rid of loadshedding much sooner if only they had heavily promoted my ‘hippy’ option, and introduced some form of incentive encouraging property owners to install Grid Tie Only – my ‘hippy’ option.
Grid Tie only is not only much cheaper but also shows a far quicker Return on Investment. The equation is simple – produce more than you use on any given day and that will reduce/negate your night time usage.
Eskom produces tens of thousands of megawatts daily, but a precise single number isn’t fixed; it’s a dynamic range, often in the 30,000-40,000 MW band, heavily impacted by plant performance and system constraints, with peaks and troughs daily.
For a solar system with batteries and enough capacity to be called off grid you will be paying around R300 000 today – this for a system at least three times in size of the first battery driven systems.
For most of these large, redundancy focused systems you can expect a return on investment to kick in in year 7 after installation.
The above ROI represents a 23% year on year Compound Annual Growth Rate – numbers that are horrendously impossible to consistently achieve using normal market investments.
Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
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I recently wrote an article comparing the average annual percentage increase for electricity in Nelson Mandela Bay and contrasted that with the average annual percentage increases for municipal employees and councillors. (Article here: https://mynmb.co.za/how-the-nmbm-contributes-massively-to-nelson-mandela-bays-financial-failure/)
That got me thinking about how we could zero our consumption at home and have a redundant Solar System.
I have already taken the first step and prepared my Distribution Board for the installation of a Solar System (See: https://mypr.co.za/a-real-tale-of-the-cobbler-and-his-shoes/)
The second conversation is around monthly consumption – I find myself on the Top Tier and we consume around 1200 kWh’s per month.
I require a certain amount of redundancy so that means installing TWO inverters (and batteries if required).
I need to produce around of 40kwh’s per day.
That would mean around 12kw of PV Panels which is approximately 22 panels.
The redundancy idea also gives the ability to utilise an east, north, west orientation (with four MPPT’s)
A 30 – 40kWh battery bank will carry us through the night and on cloudy days.
The above setup, with two 12kW inverters will produce from 40 – 65kwh’s per day in summer – allowing for top up and self consumption.
My flatlet tenants consume around 450 units of electricity per month – so that will increase my recovery on the upfront investment a bit faster.
As Straton Solar are installers of both models my preference is for the Sigenenergy range.
Should I opt for the highest estimated amount of R348 00 then it will take me 7 years to recover that investment.
BTW – In year 7 the price of electricity (increased by 12% per annum) will be R9.02 per unit.
Next step is to get the Solar Panels up, breathe for a bit and then do the inverter and battery combinations.
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The Rec Swimming Pool in Top Town has not been used for years.
Both Komani’s public swimming pools, built decades ago, have fallen into disrepair.
The Rec Swimming Pool in Top Town used to be a vibrant gathering place for families and young people, but residents say it has declined since 2015.
The pool’s facilities have cracked walls and broken windows. The water is green. Residents say the abandoned site is a hiding place for drug users and criminals.
At the end of November, non-profit organisation Clean Queenstown led a clean-up of the pool area together with the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, cutting grass and removing rubbish.
Municipal spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa said the municipality had previously planned to establish a public-private partnership to maintain the facility.
A notice was published last year inviting interested parties to submit proposals, but the proposals did not meet the municipality’s objectives, said Kowa. The municipality is now developing a plan to resuscitate the pool and will apply for funding.
Dumpy Adams Swimming Pool is in disrepair, despite the entire sports facility having been renovated in 2009.
The Dumpy Adams Swimming Pool in Victoria Park is in even worse condition. Residents told GroundUp that it has not been used since at least 2017.
The pool forms part of sports grounds, which were once a hub for events. The soccer and cricket facilities are no longer used, and the pool is empty. Windows are broken, toilets vandalised, and basins and seats at the toilets are damaged. This is despite the entire facility having been renovated in 2009.
A fire was burning at the entrance, which two boys playing with rubbish said was started by copper thieves to burn wires.
Kowa said site assessments revealed critical infrastructure failures and that “the primary cause is vandalism and theft”.
He added that the municipality is preparing a detailed costing framework to apply for funding in early 2026.
Clean Queenstown chairperson Simankele Vanqa said both swimming pools were well-maintained and lively in earlier years. “People came here to relax and to swim, and there were grandstands for events. Now, all of that is gone,” he said.
Vanqa said he started Clean Queenstown out of frustration with the state of the town.
“This is a town we used to be proud of, but now almost everything is damaged or vandalised. Facilities like the Queenstown Art Centre were closed during covid and never reopened and are now vandalised. The town hall was burnt down and has not been fixed. There are many abandoned facilities, and we are trying to clean them.”
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