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

[corrie.kuilder]

https://www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/news/brace-for-10-hour-blackouts-as-stage-6-load-shedding-looms-40405331?fbclid=IwAR20nASBHl4loSUFUt0Ws8nXT0bgU5OMcVHA6J8pS9bvx1DiDJv4NCwENNw

[Mojoman]

https://www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/news/brace-for-10-hour-blackouts-as-stage-6-load-shedding-looms-40405331?fbclid=IwAR20nASBHl4loSUFUt0Ws8nXT0bgU5OMcVHA6J8pS9bvx1DiDJv4NCwENNw

Clowns....

[Help.Me.]

I'm 100 percent off grid - the availability fee irks me no end.  I even had a guy from the local municipality (lost revenue department) google earth my house and contact me insisting I register my system.  As it's not yet law I refused.  I had an old meter that spun backwards as we generate far more than we use.  The municipality put an end to this and came and put in a digital system to monitor my feeding back into the grid.  So instead of giving them free power I've now set it not to feedback.

If I do feedback now it will actually cost me money bizarrely.  George muni has a fee to be on their solar scheme but as I don't need their power I can't get anything back for my monthly fee.  They won't allow the power we generate back to be offset against any fixed monthly fees like elec availability, refuse collection etc.  It can only be offset against consumption of electricity.

 

This insane situation has many south africans with excess power not pumping anything back.  

 

Our country cannot push out the watts required but wants to penalise those who lighten their burden.

Please tell us about you system and cost implications....

[Mojoman]

Bad luck for Kempton Park area...a substation on fire..

https://sa-media.co.za/news/south-africa/2020/01/watch-kemptonpark-substation-burning-again/?fbclid=IwAR2QU52-K8JNwQoIq7c7NhB7PL18nU7RVFYzssmRo5PDx1k9QK3X1nspcYo

[gummibear]

This is crazy [emoji15][emoji85]

 

 

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/334934-get-ready-for-10-hour-blackouts-in-south-africa.html

[100Tours]

What sort of mileage do you get on a gas geyser and one gas bottle? Think its better than a solar option?

 

Ours runs the hot water for the kitchen and the guest bathroom, so most nights it only does a half-sink of dishwashing water. Once in a while we have someone stay over and then it runs a bath or a shower, but it doesn't see a lot of use. It shares the gas supply with my gas hob and we have a gas fireplace that gets used a little in winter. All-in-all we use about 3 of the big 19kg bottles a year with that set up.

 

The guy who did the install did caution that it doesn't really make sense for your main bathroom (except there's no gas loadshedding, so maybe it's not a bad idea). If you've got city gas however it is a no-brainer.

 

A thought if you've already got an electric geyser is to put the gas geyser in downstream of the current geyser, then turn it off, or turn it to like 40 degrees so that it isn't ice. That will mean the gas geyser has less to do and you'll save on gas. the electric geyser will be a lot more efficient too. Then when the time comes for the electric one to go you can make a decision about adding solar or just going all gas.

Edited January 12, 2020 by 100Tours

[Stretch]

https://twitter.com/City_Ekurhuleni/status/1216283359497871360?s=19

[Stretch]

 

 

.

 

A thought if you've already got an electric geyser is to put the gas geyser in downstream of the current geyser, then turn it off, or turn it to like 40 degrees so that it isn't ice. .

Not a good idea... Bacteria will then grow in the geyser. Needs to be a decent enough temp to kill the critters

[100Tours]

I'm 100 percent off grid - the availability fee irks me no end.  I even had a guy from the local municipality (lost revenue department) google earth my house and contact me insisting I register my system.  As it's not yet law I refused.  I had an old meter that spun backwards as we generate far more than we use.  The municipality put an end to this and came and put in a digital system to monitor my feeding back into the grid.  So instead of giving them free power I've now set it not to feedback.

If I do feedback now it will actually cost me money bizarrely.  George muni has a fee to be on their solar scheme but as I don't need their power I can't get anything back for my monthly fee.  They won't allow the power we generate back to be offset against any fixed monthly fees like elec availability, refuse collection etc.  It can only be offset against consumption of electricity.

 

This insane situation has many south africans with excess power not pumping anything back.  

 

Our country cannot push out the watts required but wants to penalise those who lighten their burden.

 

Same thing in the W. Cape when they implemented water restrictions but then had to make up for lost revenue because water sales volumes had dropped. It's a tax. not a cost.

 

How have you addressed power supply for the following (either alternative low-power devices, no device, or clever energy solutions)

- oven?

- washing machine/tumble dryer/iron/vacuum cleaner

- swimming pool

- a/c

- hairdryer/hairtongs etc. (assume your wife has hair  )

 

Also do you run batteries downstream of other batterie (e.g. if you have batteries linked to your solar do you still have backup batteries in your gate/garage door/electric fence).

 

It seems to me that you should find a set of high resistive power devices to leave to the municipality. Swimming pool pump is the most obvious. And washing machine can wait for good no-load shedding times.

Edited January 12, 2020 by 100Tours

[100Tours]

Not a good idea... Bacteria will then grow in the geyser. Needs to be a decent enough temp to kill the critters

 

thanks

[Karman de Lange]

Same thing in the W. Cape when they implemented water restrictions but then had to make up for lost revenue because water sales volumes had dropped. It's a tax. not a cost.

 

How have you addressed power supply for the following (either alternative low-power devices, no device, or clever energy solutions)

- oven?

- washing machine/tumble dryer/iron/vacuum cleaner

- swimming pool

- a/c

- hairdryer/hairtongs etc. (assume your wife has hair  )

 

Also do you run batteries downstream of other batterie (e.g. if you have batteries linked to your solar do you still have backup batteries in your gate/garage door/electric fence).

 

It seems to me that you should find a set of high resistive power devices to leave to the municipality. Swimming pool pump is the most obvious. And washing machine can wait for good no-load shedding times.

we run washing machine, dishwasher, aircons, geyser all off solar/battery and our system is only 3kw.  Its all in the design and when you use them.

[Karman de Lange]

Not a good idea... Bacteria will then grow in the geyser. Needs to be a decent enough temp to kill the critters

make sure goes above 55 for few hours each week and be ok. 

 

your biggest saving on any geyser is insulation.  Ours dropped 10-15 degrees overnight, now with insulation on all pipes and extra on geyser its down to about 3-5.  

 

normal commercial geysers use 2-3kwh per 24 hrs to just keep at temperature of I think 55 degrees water temp at 25 ambiant, its on the spec sheet.

 

so thats R 120 per month just to water keep warm, not even usage.

Edited January 13, 2020 by Karman de Lange

[geomark]

A 2020 vision: How to end generation capacity constraints and load shedding in SA

By Chris Yelland• 13 January 2020   

As part of the solution to SA's energy crisis, the government needs a clear policy commitment to an independent, state-owned transmission company with po

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-01-13-a-2020-vision-how-to-end-generation-capacity-constraints-and-load-shedding-in-sa/

[geomark]

[geomark]

[Fruity]

https://businesstech.co.za/news/energy/365766/municipalities-prepare-schedules-for-stage-8-load-shedding/