In the middle of August, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa would be further easing coronavirus-related lockdown regulations and the entire country let out a massive sigh of relief. Finally, after months of social distancing, self-isolation and restrictions, we got some good news. And then Eskom chimed in with news that none of us wanted to hear – loadshedding is back. All too familiar with this spiel, we monitor schedules, fish out our torches and fire up generators in an attempt to make the best of a bad situation. But with the country’s economy already limping thanks to the pandemic, South African businesses simply cannot withstand any further disruptions to economic activity.

And, once again, the importance of alternative energy sources is in the spotlight.