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Paper short abstract:

This study seeks to understand how businesses invest in solar energy to secure sustainable and reliable energy and the impact this may have on social justice in Cape Town. This study attempts to gain insights into how social justice can be influenced by businesses investing in off-grid technology.

Paper long abstract:

This study seeks to understand how the search for sustainable energy leads to many businesses going off the grid and how this may impact social justice. This is significant as the study attempts to gain insights into how social justice can be deepened by businesses that are off the grid. These insights should also provide policymakers with an understanding of how to approach going off-grid. The study uses social justice to surface a sense of justice from going off-grid. The paper comprises three case studies within Cape Town: Viking Business Park, Epping (VBPE), Shoprite Distribution Center (SDC) Brackenfell, and China Town Ottery. These cases represent different scenarios of how businesses go off-grid, bringing a clear understanding when combined. First, Viking Business Park is a center managed by an independent property management company: -Spear Property. The center is home to several businesses with different energy needs and will regard going off-grid differently. Secondly, the SDC is owned and managed by Shoprite unilaterally, while a group of trustees oversees China Town. This presents a unique opportunity for data triangulation and comparison. The key research question is: What impact does installing solar energy systems by business centers have on social justice? To successfully answer this question, a qualitative approach was used to elicit the necessary data to address the research purpose. The qualitative method will facilitate the exploration, comprehension, and assessment of the understanding of social justice that emanates from businesses going off-grid.

Keywords: social justice, energy justice, governance, solar energy, and off-grid.