Christiaan Hattingh is the Managing Director of AWPower, a specialist solar and water engineering firm based in Cape Town. With over a decade of hands-on experience in solar PV systems, energy infrastructure design, and embedded generation regulations, Christiaan is regarded as one of South Africa’s foremost experts on renewable energy integration.
Under his leadership, AWPower has completed more than 500 solar installations across South Africa, including pioneering projects in solar-powered wastewater systems, multi-unit developments, and grid-export-enabled PV systems. Christiaan’s engineering expertise and passion for energy efficiency have positioned AWPower at the forefront of innovative clean energy projects – where reliability, compliance, and cost savings intersect.
When he’s not overseeing projects or speaking to the media, Christiaan champions industry collaboration and has helped shape solar best practices in line with insurance, regulatory, and engineering standards.
A frequent contributor to media outlets like MyBroadband and BusinessTech, Christiaan is known for his ability to translate technical energy challenges into practical, sustainable solutions for businesses, residential estates, and municipalities. His insights regularly inform national conversations around solar policy, compliance, and the financial viability of going off-grid.
Follow Christiaan’s articles for practical, experience-backed advice on navigating South Africa’s evolving energy landscape – from smart solar investments and export-ready systems to solar audits and EV-ready infrastructure.
The business case for grid-tied, rooftop mounted solar PV has become a no-brainer. AWPower have partnered with Nedbank to develop a finance option that in most cases result in a positive cash-flow from day-1 of installation.
Solar PV for business – finance & tax breaks Read More »
FarSoft Solutions based in Wellington opted for solar PV in order to prevent costly production losses during load-shedding and power outages. The company commissioned AWPower to design and install an off-grid solar PV system for their company premises. The system was installed in April and apart from gaining in energy security, it has also assisted FarSoft to drastically reduce their carbon footprint.
FarSoft Office in Wellington goes Solar Read More »
FarSoft Solutions based in Wellington opted for solar PV in order to prevent costly production losses during load-shedding and power outages. The company commissioned AWPower to design and install an off-grid solar PV system for their company premises.
HERE COMES THE SUN – AND THE SAVINGS Read More »
AWPower successfully hosted an energy seminar on 21 May 2019 at the Nedbank Auditorium at V&A Waterfront, attended by about 80 delegates. Following the seminar, we received a mail from Dr Anthony Keen, a well-known off-grid energy pioneer, who attended the seminar. His summary of the event, which covers highlights from each of the speakers, is not only a very accurate recap of the major talking points from the day, but also provides some further insight into the matters discussed.
Current research indicates a significant increase in the growth of energy production from renewables, with rooftop solar PV systems having the largest growth potential. This is expected to lead to a leapfrog effect, much like that of mobile phones in Africa during the past 15 years. The effect could disrupt and lead to a world-wide “death spiral” for traditional centralised utility companies.
Seminar 21 May – Understanding the PV Rooftop (R)evolution Read More »
Load shedding doesn’t have to mean lights out at your home or business. Now there’s a range of effective, and affordable load-shedding solutions to keep you switched on. Find out more here…
SPOTLIGHT on load-shedding solutions Read More »
The renewable energy sector is steadily growing in the global market, and with rapidly decreasing prices, fast gaining traction in South Africa. The installation of a solar PV (photovoltaic) solution for Pinewood Village in Cape Town has indicated that commercial scale solar PV systems offer high cost savings through low payback periods, typically around three years, instantly saving business owners money upon installation, as well as drastically reducing carbon footprints.
Solar Energy for Pinewood Village, Cape Town Read More »
Finding solutions to maintain productivity during load shedding could assist the home and business owner to save money in the long run. Once the load is managed, you are well on your way to engage productively in building up a power back-up system that can be expanded to solar PV that may provide independence from the grid.
Guide to Load Shedding Solutions Read More »
When Mr Dave Killa started planning and designing his new house in Claremont, Cape Town, he was open to new experiences. He also wanted to achieve as much independence from the utilities as possible, due to the looming prospects of Day Zero and the return of load shedding. Visiting AWPower’s sustainable living housing project in Harfield Village convinced him that it was possible for his new house to run autonomously, requiring little to no support from the municipality’s electricity and water grids. The result is a truly off-grid house in the middle of the city. Here is Dave’s story:
Sustainable Living in Urban Cape Town Read More »
While the cost of Eskom generated electricity is expected to increase dramatically following approval by Nersa for the recovery of R32.69-billion from consumers, the cost of solar PV generated electricity is plummeting, testing pay-back periods of less than 3 years for commercial solar inverter applications that have no storage capacity. However off-grid battery inverters for typical home use have a longer pay-back period, therefore the choice of battery type is an important consideration. In this case study, we reviewed the benefits of deploying a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) energy storage solution.
Rooftop solar PV with Lithium Battery – Cape Town Case Study Read More »
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