The concept of climate change is no longer theoretical nor is the need to combat it—regardless of its natural causes, human activity has accelerated the process, and we must mitigate the effects of climate change for the sake of sustainability. This in turn has led to a vital shift in the “green” energy storage technology that is available to South African people.

South Africa acknowledges the effects of climate change and has set out specific goals and regulations to further develop the country’s renewable energy sources and promote responsible energy storage. Back in 2003, the White Paper on Renewable Energy that was realized by the Department of Energy guided South Africa’s steps towards making renewable energy a viable reality.

Furthermore, South Africa’s National Development Plan and the Integrated Resources Plan of 2019 have been set in place to reflect the importance of energy management and adaptation to renewables. It also promised to create green jobs and increase access to energy for all South Africans.

For these reasons, South Africa has increasingly looked towards development in the energy storage sector, specifically with regards to renewable energy sources. These sources can be categorised as either battery storage or pumped hydro storage. There have been various advances in terms of both battery storage and pumped hydro storage.

Battery Storage

In terms of battery storage, the lithium-ion batteries that are used in mobile phones and cars are the most common. At a commercial or industrial level, they are used to store energy created by on-site renewable sources such as solar photovoltaic or wind turbines. Having battery storage ensures that if one loses access to the grid or has less than optimal production from renewable power sources, then the stored energy can still be used when necessary.

Public utility companies such as Eskom have identified the value of these types of batteries, and they have recently invested heavily in order to purchase such technologies. They intend to use the batteries to store and release energy as needed, in order to help smooth out the energy system rather than relying so heavily on traditional fossil fuel sources.

Moreover, Eskom has identified the need to create even more opportunities for individuals to produce their own electricity and then sell surpluses back to the grid.

Pumped Hydro Storage

There have also been great advances in terms of pumped hydro storage. This involves using the natural energy of water to generate electricity. On a wide-scale basis, water is collected in dam-like structures in order to generate electricity. By sending water from a lower to a higher elevation, energy is created which can then be used by hydroelectric generators in turbines to create electricity.

At an individual or community level, there have also been various attempts to utilise the power of water. For example, the Co-operative Innovative Millenium Energy Project makes use of water tanks in residential areas to collect rainwater and pump it to a higher storage level. From there, the water-pressure can then be used to generate electricity.

Improving Carbon Footprints

Bringing it back to climate change and the need for greener energy storage, utilizing such technology goes a long way in improving the overall carbon footprints of both individuals and companies. By installing these types of renewable energy storage solutions, South Africans can ensure minimal damage to the environment while still maintaining their quality of life.

Furthermore, renewable energy solutions offer much greater energy security and reliability than more traditional sources such as coal or diesel. By burning these sources, unnecessary air pollution is created. The switch to renewable energy solutions helps to reduce this air pollution, which has a positive effect on the health and well-being of individuals.

The Role of Qiktruck

Qiktruck is an on-demand truck and driver hire service, focused on building sustainable solutions, being on time and providing the best customer experience. With a shared focus on reducing emissions, we envision playing a key role in enabling the switch of renewable energy storage technology and providing access to a greener South Africa.

Qiktruck’s team is not only committed to making access to renewable energy storage technologies easier through our hands-on delivery service, but also, we are heavily investing in providing our fleet with affordable electric fleet solutions. This is to delivery on our promise of reducing our carbon footprint.

We are particularly looking forward to working with the retail, residential and industrial customers, who are gearing up to acquire these technologies, in order to ensure their timely delivery and functionality.