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Some Good Reasons to Consider Solar Power for Your Business

For anyone who may be attempting to operate any kind of commercial enterprise in South Africa, access to a reliable source of electrical power is essential. While factories have long been reliant on electricity as the means to power their machinery, computers and the Internet alone have even transformed the way office staff work, making them more dependent upon power than at any time in the past. While solar power is a relatively new option for the business owner, it offers a number of advantages, especially in the face of Eskom’s latest punishing round of load shedding.

That said, the first and most obvious benefit of converting sunshine into electricity is, therefore, that it can provide your company with the means to keep the lights on and the computers up and running when Eskom is unable to do so. Electricity generated in this manner at any time can be saved with the help of storage batteries and used as a backup supply whenever it might become necessary.

At such times, the use of solar power, even for a small business, offers a way to ensure that staff are able to remain productive and that profitability can be maintained. Of course, the same would be true if you should decide, instead, to install a conventional petrol or diesel generator and the initial cost of doing so is likely to be somewhat lower. However, once it has been installed and operational, unlike generators that rely on engine power and consume significant quantities of fuel in the process, photovoltaic panels require little maintenance and consume no fuel.

Employing solar power for business purposes is, therefore, a highly cost-effective option. While there is no doubt that both the manufacture and the ultimate disposal of photovoltaic panels do add to the planet’s carbon footprint, in terms of providing a cost-effective and, to all intents and purposes, an infinitely sustainable source of energy, it is simply not possible to deny the superior nature of this remarkable technology.

While it is an option that is not yet available to the residential user, because of the need to reduce the dependence of consumers on mains electricity, those South Africans who may be using solar power for business purposes might also qualify to receive some form of reward in exchange for feeding their excess capacity into the national grid. The sad reward could take the form of discounts to their monthly bills, the offer of a more favourable tariff, or even cash payments, and will depend on the terms applicable to the particular region involved.

Potentially, this amounts to a double financial benefit for those using solar power for business. When in use, not only will their backup supply incur no additional costs, such as fuel and spare parts, but any electricity generated that might be superfluous to their actual needs could also represent a welcome additional boost to that all-important bottom line.

Unlike a conventional generator, photovoltaic panels operate silently and, even more importantly, they do not produce any toxic exhaust gasses that could prove hazardous to the health of your employees, as well as damaging to the environment in general.

Often, one of the main concerns of those who choose to rely on solar power for their business is to protect company data that could be lost or become corrupted as the result of a sudden power failure. As is the case with other backup sources commonly used in conjunction with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), the storage batteries powered by photovoltaic panels can also be used for this purpose, ensuring that computers continue to maintain data integrity.

When you are ready to install a solar power system for your business, be sure to consult the PacB Group for the most cost-effective and reliable option.