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Major Countries with Load Shedding

By Khanya Gubangxa
| October 22, 2023

Energy crises are a growing global phenomenon. While load shedding has become synonymous in select regions, countries worldwide are struggling with electricity supply. This article will take a look at a few countries plagued with load shedding and highlight some of Elum’s use cases to help businesses overcome it.

Load shedding in India

In 2022, the state of Rajasthan was forced to introduce load shedding for industrial and residential consumers as the country dealt with the worst power crisis it has seen in years. Parts of India experienced rolling blackouts for up to 10 hours or, in more remote areas, 12 hours a day.Damaging fuel shortages have resulted in the shutdown of three power plants in Punjab alone. Reuters predicts that India will continue experiencing widespread blackouts.

Learn more about Elum’s use case in India :

South Asia

C&I

140 kWp

Solar diesel integration of Rainforest resort in Igatpuri, India

ePowerControl SD optimizes solar integration and ensures seamless transition during grid fluctuations at an Indian rainforest resort.

Load shedding in South Africa

South Africa has been load shedding for 14 years. 2022 has seen its biggest power crisis reaching up to stage six of its rolling blackout system. Businesses are experiencing power cuts for up to six hours a day and have been warned to expect load shedding for another two to three years.There are two main reasons for load shedding in South Africa. The first is the lack of installed electricity generation capacity that cannot meet the demand, outlined in this article. The next problem is that the available energy is far below the demand for electricity, which is why load shedding occurs.

Learn more about Elum’s use case in South Africa:

SSA

Microgrids

1.2 MWp

Solar, Battery, Diesel integration of a tools manufacturing site in South Africa

ePowerControl MC optimizes energy usage and ensures manufacturing continuity during load shedding, saving costs and maintaining productivity.

SSA

C&I

360 kWp

Solar diesel integration of 5 Star Superspar mall in South Africa

ePowerControl SD project ensures stable power for a South African mall during load shedding.

Load shedding in Pakistan

Pakistan continues to grapple with prolonged and unscheduled power cuts. The country’s severe electricity crisis has hit both rural and urban areas with Karachi experiencing no power for up to 15 hours and Lahore going without power for nearly 12 hours. Although officials had announced a plan to conserve energy there does not seem to be any reprieve from prolonged darkness.Pakistan is vulnerable to global supply shocks since most of its power plants run on imported fuel. Rising fuel costs and the post-pandemic demand surge have seen its import costs almost double in the last few months.

Learn more about Elum’s use case in Pakistan:

Central Asia

C&I

200 kWp

Solar diesel integration on a chemical factory in Pakistan

ePowerControl SD optimizes solar usage and manages backup genset loading in a 200 kW grid-tied PV solar project for a chemical factory.

Central Asia

C&I

1 MWp

Solar diesel integration of a beverage factory in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

ePowerControl HFS optimizes energy production and reduces fuel consumption in a 1 MWp solar-diesel system for a PEPSI factory in Pakistan.

Load shedding in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has been experiencing months of daily power cuts amid an economic crisis, which famously saw thousands of protestors storming the president’s home.

The breakdown of a hydropower plant and lack of diesel fuel has led to an increase in load shedding episodes. Currently, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) cannot meet the country’s electricity demand due to an islandwide lack of electricity supply.

Load shedding in Lebanon

Lebanon is another country that has been plagued with widespread blackouts. This is a result of an economic crisis that the World Bank has dubbed as one of the “most severe crisis episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century”.

Fuel shortages and, according to the New York Times, a “dysfunctional” energy sector are to blame for the power cuts. Similar to the situation in South Africa, power outages are simply a part of Lebanese life. In the last year, these issues have resulted in state-supplied electricity only coming on for one or two hours a day.

Learn more about Elum’s use case in Lebanon:

MENA

C&I

80 kWp

Solar diesel integration of Beirut International College, Lebanon

ePowerControl HFS optimized PV-diesel integration at the college in Beirut, boosting diesel genset yield by up to 30%.

What is the solution?

The greater and long-term solution to load shedding is increasing generation capacity. Officials are making strides to mitigate that, but businesses can become independent from the network by installing renewable energy. There are other solutions to cope in the meantime, which are outlined here.