2022 has been rough on South Africa. At the moment, the country is facing its worst bout of load shedding since the term showed up back in 2007. People are turning every which way to find a solution that isn’t Eskom It looks like Makro is coming to the rescue. The popular retailer has announced its plans to start selling power walls and full solar installations to everyday consumers.
As the year has gone on, more shoppers have approached Makro looking for generators, inverters, gas cooking tops, lanterns, and so on. Essentially, any product that may offset the problem that is load shedding. Makro saw an opportunity in the market and pounced on it.
“We are currently experiencing a very high demand for generators, inverters, and backup power solutions nationwide in our stores. Year-on-year sales for alternate power-related categories have gone up by over 300%,” said Gary Lindhorst, Makro’s DIY merchandise manager.
Lights On
And it won’t be long before we begin seeing more options in Makro stores. According to Makro, its power walls — battery backups for the home — will go on sale from the end of August. So, best start saving up to get your hands on these, and quick. Because they’re sure to be a hot commodity in Makro stores come August.
Power walls are a creative solution that don’t need diesel to keep your house going. Power walls charge whenever Eskom grants you the electricity you pay for and will kick in whenever Eskom takes away the electricity you still pay for. With a power wall, the transition is seamless, meaning you [hopefully] won’t even notice load shedding.
Makro will offer a 5kw power wall unit, alongside a 10kw unit. We don’ know just how much these will cost yet. They won’t be cheap though.
“This alternative power solution gives customers the option of investing now as a step towards becoming less reliant on the grid, and at today’s prices. They can keep their lights on well into the future and save later by adding the panels to generate their own power,” Lindhorst said.
Read More: Ramaphosa to unveil accelerated plan to tackle load shedding “in the coming days”
The big question here is; can a power wall handle Stage 6 sheds? Well, yes. The batteries apparently recharge completely in two hours, which leaves plenty of time to use Eskom’s grid before it all goes off again. The power walls are also fully solar-ready, meaning standard installations are enough to charge the batteries up like Superman on a warm day.
If you’re the sort to think a little ‘bigger’, then solar installation might be what you’re after. For now, all we know is that Makro will offer solar installations to customers “very soon”.
Source: BusinessTech