INDUSTRY WATCH
Digitisation and diversification will continue to be important trends in the coming months and years . Take a moment to consider the power that MNOs and banks have traditionally exerted in the formal payment ’ s ecosystem . Fintechs who are agile can enter into partnerships with other fintechs to offer similar one-stop solutions to those currently offered by the MNOs and banks . This trend will see an equalisation of influence .
There are two schools of thought on how you digitise money . The first is that you place a wallet in someone ’ s hands and encourage them to use it . This would be the traditional approach . The Mukuru approach , and certainly the approach of the more agile players , is to find a way to help people with their payment and remittance needs and then graduate them towards using a digital store of value as they develop trust in the brand and the technology .
These are divergent approaches , but in difficult economic conditions our experience , which has seen us sign up 14-million customers across many countries , says it is better to listen to what customers want and then walk a journey with them as they become more sophisticated in their digital journeys . p
Best practices to manage South Africa ’ s load shedding
Dylan Schnetler , Commercial Head Synapse Ultra , Rubicon
Over the last fifteen odd years , South Africa has been dealing with an energy shortage . This has led households to explore alternative options , like installing battery backup systems . These
solutions have been valuable in helping South Africans deal with frequent power outages , allowing businesses to keep running and households to operate normally .
While battery backup systems provide temporary relief during power outages , they still rely on Eskom for recharging , which adds to the burden on the strained power grid . To support Eskom and tackle the energy deficit , it is necessary for households to generate electricity independently . This can be done through solar power .
Solar power offers a decentralised solution to South Africa ’ s energy crisis . By installing solar panels , households can produce their own electricity , reducing their dependence on Eskom and easing the pressure on the national grid . Using solar energy to charge batteries actively helps to address the national energy shortage .
When using battery backup systems , it is important to consider their potential impact on power consumption and the strain they can place on the local power network . After a power outage , when the electricity comes back on , the batteries immediately start recharging while the household is also drawing power from the grid . This double power consumption may exceed the capacity of local electrical networks causing them to trip or in a worst-case scenario even damage them . This requires personnel to restart or repair the substation , leading to further prolonged power outages for users in the area .
To tackle this issue , here are some suggestions . Use technology to control the inverter so that it does not immediately draw power from the grid to recharge the batteries as soon as the loadshedding period ends , but rather wait for an hour or so . Correctly configured , this is still ample time for the batteries to recharge before the next round of loadshedding , without additional strain on the grid .
Additionally , recharge the batteries using solar energy , reducing the dependence on Eskom ’ s power entirely . This method recharges the batteries with power that has no impact on the grid , whilst still ensuring that the batteries are ready in time for the next outage .
Storing power benefits Eskom . At times , Eskom may generate more power than the immediate demand requires . However , as the day progresses and demand increases , Eskom may struggle to meet the equation of demand . By using battery storage , individuals can help bridge this gap by accessing stored power during peak demand periods , reducing strain on the grid and potentially lessening the need for loadshedding .
Generating and storing power independently is crucial to reduce reliance on the grid and ensure a more sustainable energy future .
66 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com