NEVA MAKGETLA: Solar’s expansion can deepen inequality
It eventually pays for itself but the upfront costs are prohibitive for most
08 August 2023 - 05:00
According to government estimates, in the past year businesses and households doubled rooftop solar capacity to about 10% of the national total. That upsurge is not surprising, since in effect solar now pays for itself. Yet it remains out of reach for most working-class families and small enterprises, so its expansion risks deepening SA’s already extraordinary inequalities.
For well-off families and businesses that can afford solar, load-shedding has almost become background noise, even as it condemns the majority to episodes of cold, dark and uncertainty about SA’s future. ..
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