Eskom has installed a microgrid at Swartkopdam to provide 39 homes with power for the first time.

Swartkopdam is a small town near Upington in the Northern Cape province.
The alternative would have been extending the 132 kV power line by about 200 km, building a new substation and installing a distribution network to serve the 39 dwellings. 

Eskom uses microgrids in areas where the existing electrical infrastructure cannot support new loads. This occurs mostly in rural areas where load had been light, but was increasing due to the power utility’s desire to provide electrical services to everyone.

The installation of the microgrid at Swartkopdam follows the successful installations of two pilot microgrid projects at Lynedoch in the Western Cape and Ficksburg in the Free State.

Microgrids enable the utility to provide these services quickly and inexpensively. 
They are usually powered by renewable energy resources such as wind or solar PV,  but could be supplied with power from any generation source.

Eskom’s group executive for distribution, Monde Bala, says the utility intends to install 100 minigrids over the next year.