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Siphosethu Co-op
Siphosethu Consumers for Development Co-operative is a South African consumer organisation advancing informed decisions, fair treatment and sustainable community development. We make complex systems understandable and practical.
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Our energy story
Tap a period to see what happened.
People use sunlight for heating and drying, wind for sailing, and flowing water for mechanical power.
Water wheels and windmills become widely used for agriculture, milling and other mechanical work.
French scientist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovers the photovoltaic effect, laying the foundation for modern solar panels.
Hydroelectric power begins generating electricity, while early wind and solar technologies are developed.
Bell Laboratories demonstrates the first practical silicon solar cell, marking a major step toward modern solar power.
Oil crises encourage countries to invest more heavily in solar, wind, hydro and energy-efficiency technologies.
Commercial wind farms grow rapidly as turbine technology improves and costs begin to fall.
Large-scale investment accelerates the development of solar farms, wind farms and modern energy infrastructure.
Solar and wind costs fall significantly, while battery storage and smart-grid technologies advance.
Solar, wind, batteries, electric vehicles, green hydrogen and energy-efficiency solutions become increasingly important to global energy strategies.
Clean energy is helping communities and businesses pursue lower emissions, greater energy security, economic opportunities and improved access to reliable electricity.
Siphosethu Co-op
Our role
Promoting clean-energy awareness, consumer education and opportunities that enable households, businesses and communities to participate in South Africa’s transition toward a more sustainable energy future.
Energy produced with little or no pollution or greenhouse gases, such as solar, wind and hydro power.
Power from sources that replenish naturally and don’t run out, like sunlight, wind, flowing water and biomass.
Small energy sources or storage, like rooftop solar and batteries, located close to where the power is used (DER).
Small generators, such as rooftop solar, on a customer’s property and connected to the local network. Usually needs to be registered with your municipality (SSEG).
Photovoltaic technology that turns sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor cells.
A module of linked solar cells that captures sunlight and produces direct current (DC) electricity.
Converts the DC electricity from panels or batteries into the AC electricity that appliances and the grid use.
Stores spare electricity, for example from solar during the day, so you can use it at night or during load shedding.
The network of power stations, power lines and substations that delivers electricity to homes and businesses.
Solar systems connected to the grid. They power your home first and can feed extra back, but switch off in an outage unless they have a battery.
Combine solar, batteries and a grid connection, so you can store energy, keep the lights on in an outage and still draw from the grid.
Stand-alone solar and battery systems with no grid connection, powering a home or site entirely on their own.
Come to one place for the help you need.
Insights and updates on South Africa’s clean energy future.
From coal-heavy generation to a mix of solar, wind and storage, South Africa’s power system is changing. We look at what the shift means for households, workers and local communities.
Hotter summers, shifting rainfall and more extreme weather are already part of daily life. Here’s why cutting emissions matters close to home.
Public funding, incentives and private partnerships all shape how quickly clean power reaches communities. We explain the main levers in plain language.
Utility-scale solar is playing a bigger role alongside the national grid. Here’s how large projects differ from rooftop systems, and why both matter.
Thinking about going solar? Learn the basics of sizing a system, reading a quote and registering with your municipality.
Battery storage can bridge outages and move solar power into the evening. We look at how to think about capacity and cost.
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Our customer service pledge
We pledge to listen carefully, treat every enquiry with respect and dignity, give clear and practical answers in plain language, and follow up until you know where to turn next.
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