The international PV distributors Krannich Solar are continuing their global expansion and are opening a branch office in Cape Town. The market has so far been managed from Germany by the International Sales department. Establishing this branch acknowledges the solid growth in the local market for rooftop systems. That means Krannich Solar will be able to provide their South African customers warehousing as well as logistics solutions along with customer service.
Krannich Solar made their South African debut at the Solar Show in Johannesburg on 26 and 27 March, 2019, where they presented their solutions to the African PV market. Photovoltaic systems allowing people to supply their own electricity are a hot trend in South Africa. Demand is being driven by a current explosion in electricity rates in particular. In real terms, the average electricity price has more than doubled since 2009. At the same time, procurement prices for photovoltaic components have been falling continually. Furthermore, systematic partial shutdowns in the grid (load shedding) have again been occurring since December 2018. This is yet another factor spurring on the desire for independence from the public grid.
Virtually unrivalled potential
“That makes photovoltaic systems increasingly attractive to private households and commercial enterprises”, states Kurt Krannich, the company’s founder and owner. “We are witnessing a continuous rise in enquiries for photovoltaic systems, especially from commercial enterprises and private households. Just the right segment for us as a wholesaler. Plus, we expect this market to keep on growing strongly over the next few years.”
South Africa is a country well-endowed with sunlight. With more than 2500 hours of solar irradiation per year and an average global insolation of 2100 kilowatts hours per square meter, the potential for energy generation is virtually unrivalled in the world. The daily insolation values are around twice as high as in Europe. Although this immense potential has at first predominantly been utilised in large installations of independent solar power generators, private households and traders have increasingly joined the action in recent years.
The market entry in South Africa follows last year’s introduction of Krannich Solar to India. (mfo)
