When the lights flicker off in the middle of irrigation, the Berg River Valley’s agricultural community feels the pinch. To counter that, a handful of farms have joined a pilot programme with Eskom aimed at sidestepping the nation‑wide loadshedding that has become daily news.
How the pilot works
The crux of the project lies in marrying renewable power with on‑site storage. Solar panels line the roofs of farmhouses and pump stations along the Broodkraal feeder, feeding electricity straight into a bank of lithium‑ion batteries. When Eskom announces a load‑shedding stage, the system automatically switches to the stored energy, keeping pumps running and fields watered.
Beyond hardware, the programme introduces smart‑control software that predicts power‑outage windows based on Eskom’s schedule. Farmers can pre‑program irrigation cycles to run during off‑peak hours, trimming consumption and freeing up grid capacity for other users.
Early outcomes and farmer feedback
Within the first three months, participating farms reported a 70% drop in unplanned pump shutdowns. Crop stress indicators – such as leaf wilting and soil moisture dips – have improved, translating to a modest boost in yields for water‑intensive crops like tomatoes and beans.
- Energy savings: On average, each farm has cut grid reliance by about 45% during peak loadshedding periods.
- Cost impact: Lower electricity bills are offset by the upfront cost of solar panels, but Eskom’s subsidies covering 30% of installation expenses make the economics favorable.
- Scalability: The pilot’s modular design means additional farms can plug into the existing network without overhauling the system.
Farmers like Sipho Mthembu, who runs a 150‑hectare lettuce operation, say the pilot has given them “peace of mind”. He notes that before the project, a single two‑hour outage could ruin an entire day’s harvest. Now, he can keep his water pumps humming regardless of the national load‑shedding schedule.
Eskom’s regional manager, Thandiwe Ndlovu, frames the initiative as a test case for broader rural energy resilience. If the pilot meets its targets, the utility plans to roll out similar setups across other water‑dependent regions, potentially easing the strains on the national grid while supporting agricultural productivity.
