Urgent need for action to avoid overloading the power grid

Tshifularo Mashava

Since temperatures at night and in the early morning are already almost 0 °C and in some places even fall just below freezing, the natural instinct to keep warm sets in.

And true to the universal principle of causality, City powerthe energy supplier for the Johannesburg Metropolitan Area, on the other hand, is already feeling the excessive strain on the network due to high electricity consumption.

In recent years, the population of Johannesburg is growing at an average rate of more than 2% every year, which further increases the demand for electricity services. This, coupled with myriad challenges such as illegal connections and the overall careless culture of high electricity consumption, has City power at a critical time.

The current increase in energy demand has reached dangerously high and unprecedented levels. That is why we are sounding the alarm so loudly. The strain on the system is palpable and urgent action is needed to prevent system collapse.

The load on the system

To make this image a little more vivid, imagine a gaseous or liquid substance in a confined or closed system. The more temperature or volume you add, the more pressure builds up in that system. If that pressure rises beyond the limits of the walls surrounding it, cracks form, and the possibility of a sudden explosion or blast increases with each passing second as the pressure tries to escape from the confined space.

This is no different from the situation we are currently facing. City power.

Before the electricity reaches you as a consumer, it passes through high-voltage power lines and is diverted to smaller, local distribution lines in residential areas. These lines carry the electricity to substations where it is transformed to a lower voltage suitable for domestic use.

From there, it flows through underground and overhead power cables again and eventually reaches your home. Now, when the pressure from commercial and residential use exceeds the limits or capacity of these cables, substations and other key components of the power grid, the pressure builds up in the system and eventually leads to an explosion. This destroys the infrastructure and likely leads to the collapse of the grid.

As temperatures drop, particularly during peak hours – from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. – certain urban areas are experiencing a sharp increase in electricity consumption, pushing loads to their absolute limits.

Alexandra, Freedom ParkNasrec, Hospital Hill, Mayibuye, Naturena, Florida and others have recorded worrying consumption levels that threaten to overload our electricity infrastructure.

The last resort: Load reduction

We are doing everything we can to prevent the power grid from collapsing. City Power has clearly asked its customers to reduce their electricity consumption immediately. The company has also stated that if this request is not followed, load reduction measures will have to be taken.

But what does load shedding mean? Simply put, it means reducing the amount of electricity supplied to certain areas to reduce the risk of overloading and damaging the regional or local grid. This happens when customer demand is higher than the demand that local equipment can handle.

This is the utility’s last-ditch effort to protect the grid from collapse. If equipment overloads and explodes, we face prolonged outages impacting healthcare, small businesses, schools and vulnerable people who rely on uninterrupted power supplies.

Load management initiatives

To comprehensively combat the risk of grid overload while maintaining power supply with limited interruptions, City power has introduced a number of measures to relieve the burden on the system.

We are confident that through collective excellence and collaboration with the communities we serve, we can eliminate this imminent threat and ensure that the City’s residents continue to receive high-quality, reliable electricity.

Combating illegal connections

Illegal connections are undoubtedly one of the biggest factors causing network congestion. These unauthorized connections mainly come from informal settlements, which are part of the country’s housing problems and are City of Johannesburg.

As tens of thousands of people move to the city each year for social and economic opportunities, the need for housing increases even more. Due to budgetary constraints, it is becoming increasingly difficult to formalize these settlements and provide services such as electricity at a faster rate than informal housing is mushrooming.

For example, by the end of this year we would have electrified three informal settlements, but as that happens, it is likely that more such settlements would spring up. There are over 312 informal settlements in the city and despite efforts to formalise many of them over the years, this number does not seem to be decreasing.

Now, once settled in these areas without utility facilities, residents start tapping into nearby transformers illegally, causing huge unplanned loads. As a result, numerous transformers and mini substations get damaged and destroyed, leading to prolonged outages.

This is also seen in formal settlements with backyard houses. Residents illegally connect to our grid to supply electricity to their backyard houses without incurring any electricity bill.

To mention this, City power will intensify raids and shutdown measures targeting illegal connections

Solar microgrids

Blocking and removing illegal connections is helpful, but not sustainable because it does not provide an alternative.

To solve this problem, City powerhas launched a project to install solar microgrids in informal settlements as part of its 10-point plan adopted last year.

So far, the company has successfully installed a 1 MVA solar grid in the Amarasta informal settlement in Alexandra. This plant supplies electricity to around 500 households. We are currently in the process of installing two more microgrids, one in the Vukani informal settlement in Alexandra, followed by another in Shalazile/Denver informal settlement.

This will not only create a viable alternative energy source, but will also contribute to our efforts to reduce over-dependence on Eskom.

There are 14 other informal settlements in the City of Johannesburg that are planned for this project. In short, microgrids are local electricity networks that serve small populations, are often powered by renewable resources, and can operate independently of a larger network.

Wave relay

City power has installed over 190,000 rotary receivers in various households throughout the city.

A ripple receiver is part of a load management system used to control the power supply to the geyser during peak and off-peak periods. Geysers are among the biggest energy guzzlers, accounting for up to 50% of a household’s monthly energy bill.

Earlier this year, we started a project where we checked these devices to see if they were all still working and, if not, replaced them immediately.

Solar geysers

The company has also embarked on a project to increase the installation of solar geysers in low-income households across the city to further reduce the strain on the electricity grid.

This year alone, we plan to install a total of 5,398 solar geysers at no cost to the recipients. So far, over 3,000 have been installed.

Smart meters

To help customers even more save energy without being completely shut down, City power will introduce load limitation through smart meters from July.

When demand is high, the company will remotely limit consumption. For example, a customer cannot turn on all consumption-intensive appliances such as geysers, pool pumps, underfloor heating, water heaters and other appliances at the same time. The system will be triggered, forcing customers to use only what they need until the pressure on the system is relieved.

Load limitation

City power is also in the process of signing load reduction agreements with major electricity consumers and larger companies so that we can ask them to reduce their production at certain times to help relieve the strain on the grid.

Balancing act: load shedding and load reduction

While load shedding is currently suspended, load reduction remains a necessary measure to protect the grid. If energy consumption does not decrease, we risk a prolonged load reduction period. So what can you do?

Use electricity sparingly: Use electricity sparingly. Switch off devices that are not absolutely necessary. Every kilowatt counts.

Areas with high population density, note: If you live in Alexandra, Freedom Parkor other high population density areas, your role is crucial. Be mindful of your energy consumption.

Preparing for cold weather: City power is doing its part, but working with customers is essential. Extremely cold weather is coming – let’s keep the lights on.

In this delicate balance, we all have a role to play. Let’s protect our grid, avoid load shedding and ensure a stable power supply for everyone. Together, we can get through the winter without anyone being left in the dark.

Mashava is CEO of City Power.