How do I know whether my business has an energy opportunity?
In Short
Understanding the Full Answer
A business does not need to know the final solution before starting an energy assessment. It only needs to know whether there is enough cost, risk or operational pressure to justify investigation.
For agricultural and food processing businesses, energy opportunities usually fall into five categories.
1. Cost Opportunity
There may be an energy opportunity if electricity is a significant monthly cost or if rising tariffs are affecting margins. Eskom’s 2026/2027 tariff information shows an 8.76% total standard tariff adjustment, with revised rates effective from 1 April 2026 for Eskom direct customers and from 1 July 2026 for local authority tariffs.
This does not mean every business should install solar immediately. It means energy cost should be actively reviewed, measured and managed.
3. Generator Reduction Opportunity
If diesel generator use is frequent or expensive, solar and battery storage may help reduce runtime. This does not always mean eliminating generators completely. In many cases, the practical objective is to reduce diesel exposure and protect critical loads more efficiently.
5. Storage or Hybrid Opportunity
Battery storage may be worth assessing if the business needs backup, wants to reduce demand peaks, wants to shift solar energy into later operating hours, or wants to reduce reliance on generators. SAPVIA has noted that falling battery costs, escalating tariffs and grid constraints are moving storage closer to the centre of South Africa’s power transition, especially in hybrid systems.
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Request an energy assessment to understand where your business is exposed and which energy pathway is commercially sensible for your operation.
2. Reliability Opportunity
There may be an opportunity if unreliable supply affects production, cold storage, irrigation, processing, security, administration or logistics.
For some businesses, downtime is not just inconvenient. It affects product quality, production schedules, labour productivity, customer delivery and revenue.
4. Solar Suitability Opportunity
A business may be suitable for solar if it has:
- Strong daytime electricity use.
- Usable roof or land space.
- Long-term control of the site.
- Predictable production or operating hours.
- Electricity bills available for analysis.
Solar PV is often most effective when the business can consume generated electricity directly during the day.
Energy Opportunity Checklist
Your business may be ready for assessment if you answer “yes” to several of these:
- Electricity is a major operating cost.
- You have 12 months of electricity bills available.
- You use meaningful energy during daylight hours.
- Outages disrupt operations.
- Generator costs are high.
- You need backup for critical loads.
- You are planning expansion.
- You want more predictable energy costs.
- You want to compare capex, finance, PPA or hybrid options.
- You need a clearer view of solar, storage or generator integration.