Illegal connections are one of the leading causes of electricity-related injuries and deaths in South Africa, while also posing a risk of fires and electrocutions in communities.

It also adds to the costs incurred by power utilities and municipalities and, in turn, impairs their ability to provide services and repay debts, says CBI-electric: low voltage engineering executive Dr Andrew Dickson.

He suggests that the use of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions could, however, help to mitigate these challenges for communities and utilities.

Citing statistics published by State-owned Eskom, he points out that illegal electricity connections syphon off about 37 GWh of electricity a day from the utility, costing it about R15-million a day.

Dickson adds that Eskom’s funding application for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years included plans to tackle illegal connections, by making use of data analytics to detect and resolve incidents.

This could be achieved through the roll-out of IIoT solutions, which comprise Internet-connected devices and advanced analytics platforms that process the data that is produced, he says. 

The real-time data collection and processing capabilities offered by these solutions, coupled with the granular data they churn out, give power utilities and municipalities greater visibility and control over the consumed electricity, he adds.

This can be used to distill what electricity is being consumed illegally and where – equipping them with actionable, on-the-ground insights into what is happening within the distribution network. At the same time, the technology enables them to audit and better understand their systems. Not only could this help prevent energy and financial losses but it could ultimately save lives, Dickson states.

Beyond mitigating the consequences of illegal connections, IIoT could have broader-reaching economic and environmental benefits for Eskom and municipalities, he argues.

This could include remote asset monitoring and maintenance to improve the reliability of power transmission and distribution, optimising the distribution of power supply to reduce losses in the system and redistributing excess energy generated by rooftop solar panels or wind plants to the grid, among other possibilities.

“We find ourselves in a catch-22 situation: if the problem of illegal connections persists, we will never achieve universal electricity access for all and financial strain on the fiscus will continue.

“While not a cure-all, IIoT solutions could help to enable a smarter, safer and more sustainable energy future for South Africa,” Dickson says.