Powering South Africa’s Future: Unlocking Clean, Affordable Renewable Energy for Your Business

Powering South Africa’s Future: Unlocking Clean, Affordable Renewable Energy for Your Business

At SOLA, we’ve been pioneering innovative energy solutions for over 16 years. Today, we’re thrilled to introduce a groundbreaking new energy product that promises to transform the electricity landscape in South Africa. Just recently, President Ramaphosa signed the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act into law. This landmark legislation opens up the electricity market to more competition and participation, aiming to benefit energy consumers across our economy.

This legislative milestone is a culmination of more than 25 years of gradual reform since the principles of the amendment were first laid out in a government policy paper in 1998. Against this backdrop of change, SOLA has been diligently working to bring to market a revolutionary offering for South African businesses. This innovative product enables companies to purchase low-cost, clean electricity directly from the grid, with our first power supply already at an advanced stage of construction and set to be delivered in just 12 months.

Why SOLA? 

1. Flexible and Cost-Effective Contracts
We offer streamlined, short-term rolling electricity contracts that cater to businesses of all sizes. These contracts come with highly flexible terms and allow businesses to exit with a short notice period and no penalties. The power we provide is not only clean and green but also significantly cheaper compared to the current grid electricity tariffs.

2. Real Power, Real Savings
The power supplied by SOLA comes directly from our operational assets. This means you won’t be relying on projects still in the planning stages or tied up in financing hurdles. From day one, you can enjoy substantial savings and major carbon reduction benefits, all with zero maintenance costs.

3. Powered by Eskom’s Wheeling Mechanism
Our offering is enabled by Eskom’s electricity wheeling mechanism. This allows businesses to purchase electricity from us and have the costs deducted from their existing electricity bills. While we’ve previously used this mechanism to deliver hundreds of megawatts of clean power to large energy users, this new product makes it accessible to a wider range of businesses, including smaller companies.

4. Overcoming Historical Challenges
Historically, South African businesses have been constrained by long-term energy contracts with Eskom or municipal suppliers, often requiring large upfront guarantees and featuring rigid terms with harsh penalties. Smaller businesses have had to build their own projects, which are often limited by space, capital, or site conditions. Our new product changes the game, offering businesses connected to the Eskom network an unprecedented level of flexibility and access to clean energy.

5. Future Expansion and Innovation
We’re currently offering this new product to businesses connected to the Eskom network with medium voltage connections and time-of-use tariff structures. However, we expect to expand this offering to larger municipalities soon, as the necessary mechanisms are put in place. We’re also close to completing our first wheeling transactions into municipal networks, marking the culmination of several years of positive energy innovation.

A Step Towards a Greener Future

In the past few years, we have financed nearly 700 megawatts of wheeling generation capacity, with about half of that already operational and the other half under construction. As we expand our fleet, we are continuously innovating by integrating energy storage solutions that provide greater flexibility, especially during peak periods when demand is highest.

To put the benefits into perspective, a medium to large-sized industrial facility using around 10 megawatts of our power could save up to 60 million rands over five years, reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 60,000 tonnes per year. For many businesses, this marks the first step towards decarbonisation and exploring wider choices and flexibility in the electricity sector—a vision made possible by the recent legislative changes.

We invite South African businesses to reach out to us and discover how clean energy can be both easy and compelling. Let’s work together to build a greener, more sustainable future.

Learn more and register your interest today! – https://solagroup.co.za/register-your-interest/