A dark Africa lays ahead.....load shedding

[Vetplant]

So no load shedding again....now what to do with all this batteries and solar panels..????

I hope allot of people think this way so that I can get some decent priced panels and batteries in the next month or two from suppliers sitting with excess stock.

 

Us Saffers tend to be very forgetful when it comes to loadshedding, we are always surprised by it, despite the realities of Eskom staring us right in the face!

[Eddy Gordo]

Use the lights at night to help keep your electric bill down.

[Let's Ride]

Post elections load shedding will happen again. 

ANC can't afford to have load shedding right now. How can anybody possibly vote for them when they can't keep the power on? No excuses. 

[Capricorn]

Post elections load shedding will happen again. 

 

ANC can't afford to have load shedding right now. How can anybody possibly vote for them when they can't keep the power on? No excuses. 

 

i see Radebe is mouthing off about the amount of money and timeline required to fix the power situation: 11 years and R1trillion.

R1trillion.....

 

That damn number keeps coming up, and i fear its a mindscrew on the public to "come to their own conclusion" that zuma's nuclear fleet ambitions were  are appropriate, almost prophetic.

 

The political ambivalence in charting a more sustainable, greener solution to our future power requirements is turning into political unwillingness. I wonder if Putain is calling in the chits on the nuclear deal

 

So if we have to spend that amount over that period of time, the question for us is: how do we prefer it being spent? 

The other side of this coin is: what's being done about south africa's industrial base? All this focus on energy alone is pointless without an equal focus on the demand necessary to justify the additional expenditure on generating capacity. The Demand base also just happens to be the answer to our unemployment dilemma.

 

In my view, the whole current political outlook and social debate is polarised to only one aspect. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by Capricorn

[Dazshell]

i see Radebe is mouthing off about the amount of money and timeline required to fix the power situation: 11 years and R1trillion.

R1trillion.....

 

That damn number keeps coming up, and i fear its a mindscrew on the public to "come to their own conclusion" that zuma's nuclear fleet ambitions were  are appropriate, almost prophetic.

 

The political ambivalence in charting a more sustainable, greener solution to our future power requirements is turning into political unwillingness. I wonder if Putain is calling in the chits on the nuclear deal

 

So if we have to spend that amount over that period of time, the question for us is: how do we prefer it being spent? 

The other side of this coin is: what's being done about south africa's industrial base? All this focus on energy alone is pointless without an equal focus on the demand necessary to justify the additional expenditure on generating capacity. The Demand base also just happens to be the answer to our unemployment dilemma.

 

In my view, the whole current political outlook and social debate is polarised to only one aspect. 

Just to put a Million, a Billion and a Trillion in perspective, a Million seconds is roughly 12 days, a Billion seconds is a little over 31.7 years and a Trillion seconds is 31 709 years!!!!!!

[Allrounder]

Just to put a Million, a Billion and a Trillion in perspective, a Million seconds is roughly 12 days, a Billion seconds is a little over 31.7 years and a Trillion seconds is 31 709 years!!!!!!

and there is the problem. 

 

Most voters have no idea what the numbers mean. 

[splat]

Just to put a Million, a Billion and a Trillion in perspective, a Million seconds is roughly 12 days, a Billion seconds is a little over 31.7 years and a Trillion seconds is 31 709 years!!!!!!

  

and there is the problem. 

 

Most voters have no idea what the numbers mean.

How many seconds is a Brazilian ?

[ThePubSA]

So no load shedding again....now what to do with all this batteries and solar panels..

its a start @ getting off the grid .. only geyser and fridge should work off the skom .

[Let's Ride]

Would love getting solar but no idea where to start. So many fly by night companies now. Batteries don't last as well.

 

Have somebody down our road with what must be 30 panels. Whole roof is covered.

[Let's Ride]

We use on average 8 units a day.

[Paddaman]

soon there is going to be a window tax and a sunlight tax.........

[flymango]

Post elections load shedding will happen again. 

 

ANC can't afford to have load shedding right now. How can anybody possibly vote for them when they can't keep the power on? No excuses. 

 

Unfortunately, I wish your theory was correct, because at least it suggests that somebody is in control. But the reality is that nobody is in control, and unit trips and outages are now a function of luck and the laws of physics.

 

Each passing day, week and month without load shedding for the next [<insert>] years, will be a miracle.

 

We are in deeper trouble than even the politicians understand. 

 

And I'm not even asking whether Eskom financially remains a going concern! 

[Let's Ride]

https://www.treetopssolar.co.za/design-solar-battery-system/?fbclid=IwAR3RsdJ0AGTkZSceiJok6XN64QCM5UUdPgUGNo92Vic4Q4CK9U_NfUztkDo

 

Useful to work out your costs and roi.

[scotty]

Some estimates

 

https://www.businessinsider.co.za/this-is-how-much-it-will-cost-to-take-your-home-off-the-grid-and-avoid-load-shedding-forever-2019-3

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Some estimates

 

https://www.businessinsider.co.za/this-is-how-much-it-will-cost-to-take-your-home-off-the-grid-and-avoid-load-shedding-forever-2019-3

 

 

So using this calculator, and selecting 100% replacement I will save exactly what I pay to the cent.

My ROI is at 11 years which is also  acceptable.

The cost of just over R250k is a bit too much though.........

[eccc whippet]

So no load shedding again....now what to do with all this batteries and solar panels..

last week 300 k was spent on a generator and installation...this week the other properties which are inked to the generator for load shedding...no longer need the generator...now nobody wants to contribute to the installation and maintenance...so a word of warning...be careful if you go into a joint venture.

 

as i mentioned in previous posts...understand what is it is you require and install accordingly.

 

a couple of months ago (just prior to load shedding) we purchase 8 x 105 amp/hr batteries for R1200...on special...that same company is selling batteries for R2300...give it a couple weeks and all those batteries they ordered will be a lot cheaper in a week or 2 ...especially when companies order huge quantities due to the demand as expected last week...the other problem is you will notice they only date the battery the day you collect...some of those batteries could be old already from the last big rush...you never know.

 

I believe solar panels are the way to go with a grid tied inverter (pure sine wave)...no need for huge battery banks to store energy.

 

install enough panels to charge the batteries required and to run appliance which are used during the day (peak period) between around 9 am and 2 pm...and also plan accordingly...run your pool pump between 10 and 2 as one cycle...run your aircons to cool the house and make sure your house is suitably insulated...when you get home the house is cool...if it is a cloudy day it wont be so hot and the solar will not be running efficiently... turn you geyser up to 65 + degrees between that period ...there will be hot water when you get home...etc etc etc ...you get the idea. 

 

install enough batteries to maintain power for the essentials...for example cctv...alarms...led lights...adsl/fibre...what i do for customers is install dedicated blue plugs so that the assistant cant plug in the vacuum or iron etc...and position them in key location...you dont need batteries to run the geyser or fridge etc.

 

 

the fridge freezer will not defrost in a couple hours...so i have a small backup generator (2.2 kva) which i bought after load shedding...for R1000...people were trying to unload them a couple months after the previous load shedding fiasco...if the power goes off for more than 6 hours i use the small genie to keep the fridge going and because i only have a 1 kw element in my geyser it can heat the water at the same time. 

 

get your sparkless sparkie to assist you will power requirements and let him help you choose a system which will best suit your needs.

 

a few pointers...

 

make sure that if you buy an inverter it has a built in charger capable of charging the battert bank you choose to install.

 

make sure the inverter is the type you require... non grid or grid tied.

 

make sure the inverter is solar compatible.

 

note that a 12 V system will require 1 battery ...24 volt system will require 2 x 12 VDC batteries and a 48 Volt system will require 4 batteries...etc etc....better to have a higher voltage system but it requires more batteries...which means more to replace.

 

then there is the type of batteries...each with their own pro and cons...lead acid...gel/AGM and lithium...lithium might be the best ...but could be out of the budget...not all of us have R100 k sitting waiting to be spent (i would have already spent it on my dream trek bicycle  ) there is no ROI on batteries ...like generators they just cost money.

 

then you need to understand what it cost to produce xyz kw/hr ...way up the odds and generally it doesnt pay to go off the grid with the current price of electricity...however you might want to use the system to run essential parts of your electrical installation or have a tax problem and want to unload a few thousand to reduce your tax burden...or just dont want the hassle of blackouts.

Edited March 28, 2019 by eccc whippet