Solar Campaign - Keep the Power on at HERD

We are pleased to report that our solar plant is shining brightly, keeping our elephants in the light.

To understand the reasons why this substantial investment was necessary, we can look at the larger South African context as well as the rural context of the Limpopo province.

South Africa relies heavily on coal-fired power stations to produce our electricity, but this isn't good for the environment and very unreliable and we felt that we needed an alternative, more sustainable option.

Our solar plant serves not only as a buffer to the often unreliable coal-based transmission systems by providing much-needed energy security. But also allows us to lower our carbon footprint through the adoption of renewables. South Africa is gifted with an abundance of sunshine throughout the year, even in the dry season, our winter, we still generate substantial amounts of our daily electricity demand through the solar system. As we enter the summer months, we can utilise as much as eight to nine hours of sunshine per day.

There are, however, a few challenges that are worth mentioning. By trial and error, we have noticed that we are not fully optimally using our batteries. As most of us know, the batteries are by no small margin the most expensive component of a solar system, and our solar plant needs to fit into a broader picture of South Africa's now increasingly decentralised electricity generation network. This means our solar plant needs to be registered with South Africa's electricity-producing authority, Eskom. To fully benefit from our solar plant, we are currently applying for a tariff change from the Nightsave Rural configuration to Ruraflex.

Once complete, we will be able to register our solar system with Eskom through an application process named SSEG or Small Scale Embedded Generators, a programme designed to respond to the large demand for alternative clean energy which can be integrated back into the national grid. Once this process has been completed, we will be able to see the full benefit of the solar plant both on paper, reflected by our monthly electricity bill, and through our official incorporation as a producer of alternative clean energy. This means that Jabulani and HERD can then be recognised for feeding any excess energy back into the national grid.

Looking towards the future, the current plant consisting of 200 solar panels, 150 kW of output, and 100 kWh of battery storage capacity can be expanded to better meet our peak electricity needs.

We look forward to a future where we not only expand the percentage of electricity obtained from renewable sources, but also to cultivate a culture of awareness around electricity consumption and small acts that can reduce electricity demand. Through thoughtful procurement of electricity-consuming equipment combined with behavioural changes, we hope to gradually reduce our electricity demand.

The value of this substantial investment in our energy security and transition towards renewables has not gone unnoticed, and we have our generous and unwavering network of donors to thank for their continued support.

Remember that on GivingTuesday,  December 2, 2025, at 00:00:00 EST to December 3, 2025, at 12:00:00 EST your donation on GlobalGiving can go even further. Support HERD during this time and make the most of this amazing opportunity!

Thank you,

The HERD Team.

We have made great strides with our solar campaign and are happy to share feedback with you.

The solar system has been fully operation  for the last couple of months, with the days being a little shorter during our winter months, we were still able to harvest a fair amount of energy from the sun.

Currently, we have around 7 to 8 hours a day of maximum energy harvest, enabling us to cut our grid electricity usage by around 40% – 50% during these times. The maximum harvest is between 09:00 in the morning and 12:00 in the afternoon.

We are in the process of optimising battery use during the peak times and this process will take another couple of months for us to properly gauge the usage trend. Once this trend is set, we will be able to use majority battery and solar back up during the day as well as batteries during the peak usage times in the evening.

There has been regular maintenance on the system in the sense of cleaning the actual panels, the winter months being our dry months the panels collect a fair amount of dust and need to be thoroughly cleaned to ensure optimal energy harvest from the sun.

By constantly monitoring the system and making small adjustments here and there, we can maximise the total usage of the sun’s energy.

But one also has to start taking into account that the way electricity is used needs to be adjusted. What I mean by this is that it is beneficial to not start using big electrical equipment early in the morning, thus using grid power, but rather start later during the day and use the energy generated by the system.

Thank you for providing light and power to all at HERD.

Warm wishes,

The HERD Team