PacB Group // The Crucial Role of Generators in South Africa

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The Crucial Role of Generators in South Africa

Located at the southernmost tip of the African continent, we are one of its newest independent republics. With a total area of more than 1,2 million square kilometres and a population fast approaching sixty million, even though the majority of the nation’s people live in urban and peri-urban areas, without the help of their own generators, many more people in South Africa would be without access to electricity.

Statistics suggest that 90% of the nation’s citizens now have access to mains power and that, even in urban areas, the figure could be as high as 80%. However, this 20% shortfall makes it clear that there is still much to be done. Furthermore, there are also two major complicating factors that will need to be addressed. The first of these, of course, will by now be painfully obvious to everyone who is already connected to the Eskom network.  The bottom line is that the national service provider lacks the infrastructure to generate and distribute sufficient power to satisfy the needs of even its existing clients. This is a fact that has served to boost the sale of generators in South Africa to an all-time high.

The second complicating factor may not be quite as obvious to consumers, but its effects are no less worrying. The continued migration of residents from rural areas to cities and towns, particularly in Gauteng, and the resulting growth of informal settlements have actually led to a decline in the province’s electrification statistics, while other provinces are showing varying degrees of growth. Of the two problems, it is, without doubt, the former that could pose the greatest threat. While strategic industries, such as mining and tourism are crucial to the economy, the ability to maintain services, such as healthcare and education is no less important. In the face of load shedding, generators are providing a crucial lifeline for many in South Africa.

For the nation’s industries, generating their own power on site is nothing new. For some, such as mining and construction that must often operate in places remote from Eskom’s network, there is no other option but to invest in one or more gensets. Others have found it necessary to install these machines as a means to supply extra power when the demands posed at times of peak consumption exceeds that available from the mains supply alone. During the 12 years since the introduction of load shedding, however, many more industries are investing in hard-working, diesel generators purely to provide an emergency backup option. Despite Eskom’s assurances, many still remain fearful that South Africa could face even longer and more frequent power cuts in the future.

On the domestic front, the concerns of homeowners are not allied to reduced productivity and profits, but are rather more prosaic. They want to know that the food in their freezers will remain safe to eat, that there will be light during the hours of darkness, and that they can charge up their phones, watch a bit of TV, boil a kettle, and perhaps switch on their security systems. Given that their overall power requirements are a great deal less than those of a motor manufacturer or a mining company, the more compact, less powerful, and substantially less costly, petrol-driven generators are a practical choice for residential purposes in South Africa.

While, perhaps more of a convenience than a necessity to residential users, the ability to switch, without interruption, from mains to emergency power when necessary is often crucial to manufacturers, and programmable control panels are available for this purpose as are canopies to contain the noise and, if located outdoors, to protect the enclosed generators from the elements. As a leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of innovative power solutions in South Africa, no company is better qualified or experienced than PacB Group to solve your power problems.