Durban - Discussions on alternative energy sources and making the tourism sector self-sufficient when it comes to energy generation were the focus of a forum hosted by the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) KwaZulu-Natal branch this week.
Brett Tungay, Fedhasa’s East Coast chairperson, said the forum brought together installers and energy monitoring consultants to help businesses learn what they could do to mitigate the effects of load shedding.
“Load shedding has been devastating to the tourism and hospitality industry. Businesses can’t cook food, accommodation establishments don’t have hot water or air conditioning, and the only solution is alternative energy. It’s also the only option for members of the public as there is no timeline for the energy crisis to be solved,” said Tungay.
Peter Rose, the owner of a guest house, said: “The issue is that solar energy is so expensive. We also have to remember that the hospitality and tourism sector has not recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, so it is difficult to find a large amount of money to install solar. Load shedding is the main driver of the downturn of our economy, and we have to find viable solutions.”
Otto Khuzwayo, the owner of Nokusho Events and Guest House in Umbumbulu, said load shedding was badly affecting his business and that he was considering installing solar energy.
“Most of the money we make goes towards paying for diesel to keep the lights on for clients at the guest house. Solar energy is something that I have to consider, although it is expensive.”
Speaking at the forum, Matthew Cruise, the head of public relations at Hohm Energy, said he expected the frequency of load shedding and the cost of electricity to double in the next five years. “Every year Eskom implements an electricity tariff increase, and added to this is the tariff increase that the municipalities implement. Over the next five years ratepayers can expect to be paying double for the same amount of electricity. There are a lot of power stations that are very old, which includes Hendrina Power Station, Camden, Arnot, Grootvlei and Kriel, which will be coming offline in the next six years, and that will mean more load shedding. Already in 2023 we have seen 30% more load shedding than in 2022.”
“Solar roof panels allow for electricity from the sunlight during the day, and battery storage also allows for electricity to be used at night.”
Marshall Fourie, a utility management specialist at Energy Resource Optimizers, said being able to save energy was crucial for business survival.
“There is the thinking that you don’t have to save electricity because you have a generator and an inverter, but this shouldn’t be the case as this is your emergency power, not your back-up power,” he said.