South Africa Struggles With Energy Needs

South Africa’s primary energy provider — the state owned Eskom — continues to struggle to meet the electricity requirements of this developing country. Eskom’s inability to upgrade its aging infrastructure for the past two decades has left local businesses to contend with rolling blackouts that continuously plague production.

Eskom’s current upgrades are repeatedly halted by striking employees. President Jacob Zuma can be found in either France or Russia, playing with the idea of a nuclear power plan, one which will be drawn out over more than a decade.

South Africa’s failed attempts at addressing this problem have created an opportunity for foreign companies to come in and supply the ever growing demand.

One company that is doing just that is U.S. owned SunPower, a solar technology and energy services provider. This year SunPower completed two ground mounted solar plants in the northern parts of South Africa, producing 33 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

In 2015 SunPower kicks off its solar panel production facility in Cape Town which is predicted to produce over 160 MW of electricity annually.

As we become more and more aware of the dynamics of the global market place in which we exist, so we begin to lean on our foreign counterparts not only for bottom line business ventures but in finding solutions to socio-economic and other problems that hinder a growing economy.

Matthew Klynsmith earned a business administration diploma at CTI in Cape Town, South Africa. He now works at Strategic Options as an associate partner. To read more reports from Matthew Klynsmith, Go Here Now.