Current Trends and Innovations
Many industries are becoming digitised, and solar PV is no exception
Areport by SolarPower Europe published back in January showed that digital innovation is fundamental to closing the electricity supply gap in South Africa, and driving off-grid solar market growth. The use of blockchain technology – which tracks supply and demand – and pay-as-you-go solar can help accelerate electrification, reduce tariffs and improve services.
“Digital innovation has created a sweet spot — delivering excellent products and services for customers, enabling low-cost operations for companies, and protecting assets and revenue streams for investors. The business model allows customers to pay for their off-grid solar product in small instalments,” the report reads.
Meanwhile, the fastest growing market within the sector is rooftop installation of solar panels. They offer electricity benefits to households which previously had no electricity access, and are increasingly used to help power the daily operations of large buildings, such as malls and factories.
The GreenCape Smart Electricity Project has put significant effort to creating a conducive environment for rooftop PV and other small-scale embedded technologies in the Western Cape, which could lead to over 200MW of rooftop installation in the province in the upcoming year.