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

[geomark]

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

Stage 8        oh joy, I hope this does not come to pass, will get very ugly.

[Mojoman]

Stage 8        oh joy, I hope this does not come to pass, will get very ugly.

Great start to 2020.....the cANCer does us proud again....

[IceCreamMan]

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

 

The ineptness is diabolical

[Mojoman]

The ineptness is diabolical

Pretty much on the same curve as the accountability.......

[Wayne pudding Mol]

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.

to answer a few questions

 

Stove is gas with a gas oven - they've come a long way and it's no more hassle than your stove, better if cooking is one of your passions as it is mine

 

I stand under correction here as its been a while since I thought about this - we are a family of 3 and our house was designed around the system.  We have a small house but also another 2 bedroom cottage that runs off the same system.  This is my office and for our guests but it's main function is for my bikes.

16 solar panels (I think 330w) and an 8KVA inverter with 24 batteries (not lithium as it wasn't worth it 4.5 years ago.  It's a 48v system

All appliances are inverter technology and we also run 3 pumps for water (not simultaneously)  These are variable speed drive pumps so they don't pull a whack of power in one go.  We have a really small salt water chlorinated pool which runs for 2 x 2 hours sets a day.  Small pool = small pump.  I don't run the pump unless its sunny.  I have no issue running any appliances.  Ironing is done midday and my wife doesn't use a hairdryer and at this stage neither does my 11 year old daughter. We are not the most sociable so the hair straightener gadget is not used often.  Only if we go out, so probably once a week.

No tumble dryer, the coffee machine was far more important and as we live on a small holding we have a massive washing line.  A few rainy days and our house looks interesting with laundry hanging everywhere.

Our water is heated using a heat pump and a gas geyser in the guest cottage.  We have a closed combustion fireplace for heating the house in winter.

We don't need electric fences where we live but these don't use that much power anyway.

 

We run 2 garage doors and a gate but these are linked to an 8 panel 4kva system with 2 lithium batteries which operate my workshop.  I do a bit of woodworking.  Most of my tools are lithium but I can run my thicknesser and my table saw, again not at the same time

 

It all works just fine and everyone knows don't straighten your hair whilst ironing and making microwave popcorn.  We eat early and go to bed early.  Small adjustments 

 

The best part about this is that I work from home and this system was set up to run my office - At the time I think I was allowed to depreciate the system over 2 years.

 

A system like this costs a lot but as I designed and built our house, I just shrunk the house.  The system was smaller to start.  You don't have to start big but you do need to get components that can be added to.

 

I feel so smug and self righteous when I look out over our village and see people in the dark.  My wife on the other hand turns off lights.

 

For around 20k you could run your TV, internet, DSTV, several lights, your alarm, chargers, laptops and probably your gate for as long as any current load shedding period.  I have something like this too which is portable (but heavy)  My inlaws have a fishermans cottage with no electricity near aghulas and I usually drag this along for a few creature comforts when we go. 2 300w panels, a 3kva inverter and a 26v lithium iron battery

 

I will just finish this essay with a disclaimer, I am no expert, I was well advised and what I have works for us.  

 

Hope that helps

[Help.Me.]

to answer a few questions

 

Stove is gas with a gas oven - they've come a long way and it's no more hassle than your stove, better if cooking is one of your passions as it is mine

 

I stand under correction here as its been a while since I thought about this - we are a family of 3 and our house was designed around the system.  We have a small house but also another 2 bedroom cottage that runs off the same system.  This is my office and for our guests but it's main function is for my bikes.

16 solar panels (I think 330w) and an 8KVA inverter with 24 batteries (not lithium as it wasn't worth it 4.5 years ago.  It's a 48v system

All appliances are inverter technology and we also run 3 pumps for water (not simultaneously)  These are variable speed drive pumps so they don't pull a whack of power in one go.  We have a really small salt water chlorinated pool which runs for 2 x 2 hours sets a day.  Small pool = small pump.  I don't run the pump unless its sunny.  I have no issue running any appliances.  Ironing is done midday and my wife doesn't use a hairdryer and at this stage neither does my 11 year old daughter. We are not the most sociable so the hair straightener gadget is not used often.  Only if we go out, so probably once a week.

No tumble dryer, the coffee machine was far more important and as we live on a small holding we have a massive washing line.  A few rainy days and our house looks interesting with laundry hanging everywhere.

Our water is heated using a heat pump and a gas geyser in the guest cottage.  We have a closed combustion fireplace for heating the house in winter.

We don't need electric fences where we live but these don't use that much power anyway.

 

We run 2 garage doors and a gate but these are linked to an 8 panel 4kva system with 2 lithium batteries which operate my workshop.  I do a bit of woodworking.  Most of my tools are lithium but I can run my thicknesser and my table saw, again not at the same time

 

It all works just fine and everyone knows don't straighten your hair whilst ironing and making microwave popcorn.  We eat early and go to bed early.  Small adjustments 

 

The best part about this is that I work from home and this system was set up to run my office - At the time I think I was allowed to depreciate the system over 2 years.

 

A system like this costs a lot but as I designed and built our house, I just shrunk the house.  The system was smaller to start.  You don't have to start big but you do need to get components that can be added to.

 

I feel so smug and self righteous when I look out over our village and see people in the dark.  My wife on the other hand turns off lights.

 

For around 20k you could run your TV, internet, DSTV, several lights, your alarm, chargers, laptops and probably your gate for as long as any current load shedding period.  I have something like this too which is portable (but heavy)  My inlaws have a fishermans cottage with no electricity near aghulas and I usually drag this along for a few creature comforts when we go. 2 300w panels, a 3kva inverter and a 26v lithium iron battery

 

I will just finish this essay with a disclaimer, I am no expert, I was well advised and what I have works for us.  

 

Hope that helps

Thanks very much....just shows you it is not impossible

[DJR]

..................but it's main function is for my bikes.......................

This is all I heard!  

[Wayne pudding Mol]

This is all I heard!  

the truth and the only line worth reading

[geomark]

This is all I heard!  

was about to make exactly the same comment until I scrolled down.

 

Technical question Waynemol - " with 24 batteries (not lithium as it wasn't worth it 4.5 years ago.  It's a 48v system" what is the effective usable storage capacity of the batteries if have no solar inut during the day, what can you actually pull from them before damage etc? 

[Wayne pudding Mol]

was about to make exactly the same comment until I scrolled down.

 

Technical question Waynemol - " with 24 batteries (not lithium as it wasn't worth it 4.5 years ago.  It's a 48v system" what is the effective usable storage capacity of the batteries if have no solar inut during the day, what can you actually pull from them before damage etc? 

In SA it's pretty rare that you can draw nothing from your panels but for sure a few rainy days saw us run out of power when we first moved here.  In those days I was able to draw from eskom and spin the meter backwards to ensure no cost.  Now they've stopped that so we are a little more careful in winter.  I will work find out exactly what the storage capacity is but I reckon its about 3 days for us but then I implement code red (no pool pump, no watering using grey water pump, no toast, no microwave, no ironing)  When we take out these big energy suckers we have yet to run out of power.  

 

What I would like to do is find a way to top up from the small garage system that I have as this is not used daily

 

If the local municipality was prepared to forego their fees I would happily give them all my excess to be able to draw a bit of free power in an emergency

[Spinnekop]

You bunch of dooms dayers you.............

Edited January 14, 2020 by Spinnekop

[Mojoman]

Ja. Like anyone believes anything Eksdom has to say these days....

[splat]

You bunch of dooms dayers you.............

 

[geomark]

Ja. Like anyone believes anything Eksdom has to say these days....

 

[Tothehills]

Looking to soundboard the following:

 

Monthly utility bill for a typical summer month:

Water, R 2,500.00 approx R 11.00 for 1kl (including VAT and Demand side levy) Sewerage cost is not included in the above. I do have a garden that requires some water, and a 40,000l swimming pool

Electricity, R 1,850. R2.77kWh (including VAT, Network surcharge, service charge and Network charge) Winter this figure is higher off coarse. I have a normal 200l geyser

 

I'm Joburg based.

 

Taking all future risk scenarios into consideration:

City Power, load shedding, old infrastructure and failing substations, tariff increases

Joburg Water, repairing old infrastructure, availability to healthy water, tariff increases.

 

I have small 5.5kW generator and a 1.2kVA UPS (For CCTV, Router and internet) for load shedding days. All alarms and and electric fence are installed with double battery back-up

Safety is probably high on the list priority for us.

 

Budget estimate for a 5kW Solar package, including some batteries (AGM) = R 90,000.00 Grid tie solution. Then change over to pre-paid system

To sink a 100m bore hole will cost around R 70,000.00

 

To reduce the monthly running cost of the house is paramount.

Both services are essential to us.

Investing into either one is something for consideration.

 

Payback is my issue, this is a long term decision.

Not having water, or electricity is also a problem.

 

In which resource would you invest into?

[Spinnekop]

Net 'n grappie.

 

As you were.