Ground-mounted solar plant at Taaibos River Lodge in the Waterberg, Limpopo, installed by Imvelo Energy
Projects/Taaibos River Lodge

Taaibos River Lodge: Off-grid solar and battery plant for a game lodge in the Waterberg

10.8%
off the cost of power and diesel in year one
Taaibos River LodgeGame lodge, Waterberg, LimpopoCompleted June 2025
Solar (PV)80kilowatt-peak (kWp)
Battery storage80kilowatt-hours (kWh)
SystemOff-gridno Eskom connection
Back-upGeneratoron standby

What the site needed

Taaibos River Lodge sits on a game reserve in the Waterberg, at the end of a long overhead line through rough country. Summer storms and wildlife brought the line down again and again, and each outage meant the generator and another diesel delivery.

The electrical cable from the transformer to the lodge belongs to the lodge, so maintaining it also added costs. In this case, the Eskom account was only one of four costs.

What we built

  • An 80 kWp ground-mount array and 80 kWh of battery storage, sized to carry the lodge overnight.
  • Now the generator is available as backup for the exceptions.
  • Disconnected from the Eskom line at commissioning. The lodge has since run on its own solar plant through a full winter and a full summer storm season.
  • Ground broken in April 2025, running in June.

Four costs became one

The client was paying four separate payments every month in order to keep the lights on. That became one fixed amount.

1
The Eskom accountEnergy and fixed charges, paid whether or not the supply was up.
2
Diesel during outagesThe generator went on every time Eskom turned the lights off.
3
Repairs to its own lineLightning and interruptions from animals running into lines cost the lodge in repairs and maintenance.
4
Annual escalationA tariff increase the lodge could neither influence nor plan for.
→
Replaced byOne fixed monthly payment

of R35 000 a month, saving 10.8% in year one with zero downtime.

Solar installation results in numbers

Off the bill in year one10.8%R4 218 a month.
Off the bill by year ten32.5%R33 657 a month.
Cost without ImveloCost with ImveloSavedProjected saving

The annual cost of power and diesel before the plant, against the monthly payment.

Battery storage and inverters at Taaibos River Lodge, Waterberg
Battery storage and inverters
Aerial view of the solar plant at Taaibos River Lodge, Waterberg, Limpopo
Waterberg, Limpopo

“Dealing with Imvelo was a pleasure. They bent over backwards to make the installation happen. We have had no downtime and our numbers speak for themselves.”

James, Lodge Manager, Taaibos River Lodge

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Imvelo Energy designs, finances, builds and maintains commercial and industrial solar and battery systems for businesses across southern Africa, from offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

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Glossary
Demand charge
The part of a business electricity bill based on the highest power the site draws in the month, separate from the energy it uses.
Notified maximum demand
The capacity a site has agreed with its supplier. Going over it adds a charge to the bill.
Peak and time-of-use
Electricity costs more per unit in the weekday morning and evening peaks. A battery charged off-peak covers those hours.
Embedded generation
Power produced on your own site, connected on your side of the meter.
Distribution board
The electrical board the solar plant connects into.
Section 12B
A tax allowance that lets a business deduct the cost of a solar plant it owns, up to 1 MW, in the first year.
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