At the Huawei South Africa Connect 2026 event, held on July 23, State-owned power utility Eskom chief technology innovation officer Len De Villers stated that the Madimbo Smart Village Microgrid project proved that intelligent infrastructure could simultaneously bridge the digital and energy divides.

The project combines solar PV generation, battery energy storage and smart metering into a single controllable entity, with Eskom, alongside Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, having launched it in Limpopo, on December 19, 2025.

“This standalone entity [allows] the community [to source] power . . . for schools, hospitals and health care centres from an off-grid, scalable, distributed metering system, giving us insight as to how we can get energy to [remote] villages where we have yet to [establish] grids and the transmission [network],” De Villers explained.

First identified in October 2024, the project was developed under Eskom’s Universal Access and Clean Energy programme, and provides sustainable, reliable electricity to about 700 households that previously had no access to electricity.

Moreover, the project has enhanced supply to about 1 650 households that had access to electricity but now benefit from more reliable and cleaner supply.

Eskom describes microgrids as a collection of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries acting as a single, controllable entity, with respect to the utility’s grid.

These microgrids can be operated in an “islanded mode”, maintaining the relevant quality of supply parameters independent of any other grid, but can still be grid-tied.

As such, for communities that are too far from the Eskom grid to be connected efficiently, as well as for small, “far-flung” communities with terrain that is mountainous or difficult to traverse, “microgrids are the ideal solution”.

Healthcare Resilience

Meanwhile, on July 18, through its corporate social responsibility vehicle, the Eskom Development Foundation (ESDEF), the utility successfully installed a renewable-energy microgrid solution at the Mafikeng Provencial Hospital, in the North West.

The grid will be used to increase resilience for critical hospital departments including the intensive care units, operating theatres and the emergency department.



Additionally, by providing a clean and reliable energy solution to support critical healthcare services, Eskom is investing in the well-being of communities and creating lasting social impact, ESDEF acting CEO Mologadi Motshele noted.

The project entails a 200 kW solar PV system coupled with a 400 kWh battery energy storage system as backup supply, providing the hospital with sufficient electricity to meet the requirements of a provincial hospital.

The donation will ensure continued reliable supply in an area prone to cable theft, which can result in power outages.