Many individuals are trying for back-up energy options for their properties and companies to see them by way of unpredictable and productivity-killing Eskom load shedding and are additionally fed up with the rocketing prices of electrical energy that Eskom can’t reliably or affordably provide.
The parlous state of municipalities also needs to be of nice concern, with collapsing infrastructure, non-existent service supply and rampant cable theft that leaves you with out energy for prolonged intervals of time, compromising your productiveness, security, safety, earnings and high quality of life.
Also Read: Load shedding: Cops can’t even battle the darkish, by no means thoughts crime
Before you rush into buying a back-up energy answer, you should take a thought of and long-term view of get your self as near grid independence as potential. It’s essential to contemplate the place South Africa’s vitality future is headed, and what this implies for your private home and enterprise.
Any cash spent on an unsuitable back-up answer at this time detracts out of your final goal of grid-independence and self-sufficiency.
Don’t be lured into the various low cost ‘plug and play’ options being punted in the marketplace by drop-and-go shippers who provide no back-up or assist in nation, and even much less when it comes to warranties on their merchandise.
Start with a scalable, high quality photo voltaic PV hybrid answer that takes care of your quick wants for back-up energy throughout load shedding and energy failures and lets you scale up in future to self-generation by including photo voltaic panels and extra batteries if wanted.
While you can begin initially together with your hybrid system configured as a back-up answer (inverter and battery solely), as funds permits it is possible for you to to broaden with photo voltaic panels to generate your individual energy, offering back-up and saving you a fortune in electrical energy prices.
Not all inverters provide this scalable performance so it’s important to work with a renewable vitality accomplice who’s skilled on this area and understands and works together with your long-term goals. Avoid in any respect prices a budget, fast fixes bought by newcomers to the business seeking to make a fast buck on SA’s vitality disaster.
Our vitality disaster – each in time period of collapsing provide and value – doesn’t have a fast repair, and your answer must be constructed for the lengthy haul.
Also Read: Load shedding stage 6: Is going off the grid SA’s greatest vitality fantasy?
This is the way you begin your journey to higher grid-independence step-by-step
Step 1: Convert your electrical geyser to a photo voltaic geyser
An electrical geyser accounts for 30-40% of your month-to-month electrical energy utilization in a typical mid-income house, so that is essentially the most essential start line to decreasing your each day electrical energy load, and which implies you too can purchase a smaller and extra reasonably priced PV answer.
A 200-litre photo voltaic geyser, absolutely put in is round R27 000. On a R2500 electrical energy invoice, you’ll save round R750 monthly, amortising your outlay in simply over three years with out taking annual electrical energy value will increase under consideration.
Step 2: Start with a hybrid inverter and li-ion battery answer that’s expandable
As your funds permits, you possibly can add photo voltaic panels and extra li-ion batteries to give you a full hybrid system for self-generation, electrical energy financial savings and battery-back up.
For functions of this illustrative train, we used a Sunsynk inverter configuration, nonetheless, there are additionally different high quality Hybrid inverter options out there. Don’t get duped into low cost inverters and outdated lead acid battery know-how and installations, as these entry stage merchandise merely don’t provide this scalability or reliability.
Option 1:
- 5kW Sunsynk inverter and 3,6kWh Batterich li-ion battery arrange as a UPS config initially – this implies it would present back-up for your important hundreds (which we break up at your DB board) throughout loadshedding and energy outages solely. Starting value is round R71k together with skilled set up and all of the required electrical safety and a COC.
- If you want an even bigger inverter (based mostly in your load evaluation), then go for a Sunsynk 8kW Hybrid Inverter & 7.2kWh Batterich li-Ion battery. Set up as a UPS configuration initially. Expandable with photo voltaic panels and extra batteries. From R112k.
Option 2:
- Sunsynk 5kW inverter with 7,2kWh Batterich li-ion batteries and a 2.7kW photo voltaic array. Starting value is round R123k together with skilled set up and all of the required electrical safety and COC. This is a full hybrid system that gives for self-generation (electrical energy financial savings) because it has panels, and gives battery back-up.
- Sunsynk 8kW Hybrid Inverter, 10.8kWh Batterich li-Ion battery & 4.5kW photo voltaic array. From R185k.
Option 3:
- Sunsynk 5kW hybrid inverter, 10.8kWh Batterich li-ion battery and 5.4kW photo voltaic array. Starting value is R182k.
- Sunsynk 8kW Hybrid Inverter, 14.4kWh Batterich li-Ion battery & 8.1kW photo voltaic array. From R257k.
With the advances in photo voltaic know-how and pricing, you possibly can hedge your electrical energy prices for the subsequent 20-25 years and safe your provide at lower than 50% of present costs that Eskom can provide it, by making savvy photo voltaic funding choices at this time.
Avoid in any respect prices a budget, fast fixes bought by fly-by-nights who promise you the world with a R10k inverter – if it had been that simple and able to taking you off the grid, everybody would have accomplished it way back.
There are many unqualified fly-by-nights who’ve popped up, with much more questionable tech choices and sub-standard set up high quality.
You’re going to be putting in your photo voltaic system in your single most respected asset and its pivotal to your high quality of life, productiveness and security – so you’ll want to spend money on the very best quality methods and certified installers with stable warranties.
Track report and technical experience issues!
Given the strategic significance of the choice you make with reference to your electrical energy value, provide and security, in addition to the quantum of your monetary funding and anticipated ROI, work with a reputable, certified and accredited renewable vitality accomplice that might be round for back-up, assist and ongoing session over the lifespan of your system – that’s a very good 20-25 years.
These are simply among the necessary issues that One Energy suggests you have a look at:
- The NRS-097 laws specify which inverters are authorized to be related to the grid. When the NRS laws are enforced nationally (they’re already within the Western Cape) – a non-approved inverter will primarily be an unlawful, non-compliant connection.
- Safety and Compliance is vital – You’re connecting a rooftop electrical energy plant to your most respected asset – your private home or enterprise – so that you don’t need to get it fallacious. Remember {that a} non-compliant system has important implications for your insurance coverage cowl if issues go fallacious and you should declare.
- Every part in your system must be appropriate – not each inverter is appropriate with each battery, not each inverter will be expanded with photo voltaic panels, and in reality even completely different makes of electrical energy meters can show problematic. You must take care of an professional who is aware of their stuff – nobody turns into a specialist in six months.
- Do your homework – One Energy has been known as out to help on numerous events the place customers have been left within the lurch by dodgy contractors who’re now not round to assist their methods. In many situations we’ve not been in a position to rectify the faults or salvage any a part of the set up. In among the worst circumstances, folks have paid huge deposits to those operators, solely to have them disappear with their cash and discover that they don’t seem to be even legally registered corporations.
- Membership of a Professional Industry physique – Check whether or not your supplier is registered and a present member {of professional} business our bodies corresponding to SAPVIA. Does your supplier have PV Greencard licensed installers? Is there a certified electrician to do {the electrical} work and present a COC?
- Insurance – have they got the requisite enterprise insurance coverage corresponding to public and contractor’s legal responsibility and items in transit cowl to insure your items whereas in storage and transit to your website? If your contractor is concerned in an accident or their car is hijacked and your tools is broken or misplaced, are they suitably insured for the {hardware} which you could have doubtless paid at the very least a 70% deposit for?
- Product Quality and Certifications – Check that photo voltaic panels are compliant with IEC requirements. Is your inverter compliant with NRS-097 laws which outline which inverters are authorized to be legally related to the grid? Is your photo voltaic geyser SABS-approved? Is your set up accomplished in accordance with SANS-standards? Will you obtain a PV Greencard together with your set up?
- Quality Management – contemplating the longevity of your funding, examine whether or not your supplier has a CRM system which data the detailed set up and service historical past of your system from day 1, which implies constant high quality management, guarantee administration and enterprise continuity for you. If your authentic installer is now not round, what’s the succession plan to supply ongoing back-up and assist in your system which has a 20+ yr lifespan?
The journey to grid independence is an enormous and necessary step and you should ensure that the steps you are taking at this time are proper for your wants down the road.
- Teresa Settas is the Marketing Director of the One Energy Group. The views on this opinion piece don’t essentially replicate these of The Citizen.
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