Briefing Note 2: Loadshedding and the economy - Graph 1. National hours of loadshedding

In 2022, the escalation in both loadshedding and fuel prices brought a sharp increase in the cost of relying on diesel. [...] In the past decade, rapid technological progress has increased the reliability of solar as well as reducing the cost. [...] As noted in the section on the GDP, an indicator of increased demand emerges from the jump in imports of lithium-ion batteries in 2022. [...] The challenge with solar, especially for smaller businesses, is the high initial investment required for the combination of the panels themselves, a battery and an inverter. [...] As always, the challenge is to manage the attendant disruption in ways that minimise the costs and take advantage of new opportunities.