Loadshedding solutions

[The Ouzo]

7 minutes ago, Frosty said:

That's the neatest wall mounted system I've seen, although the wiring coming to/from the DB could have been placed inside trunking. Hope Ouzo approves too.

Judging by the pics of all these installs, with the installers inability to neatly tuck away wires and all the various components, if/when I go down this route I will plan to either build a cupboard to hid everything away or get a server rack type cabinet.

[mikkelz]

18 minutes ago, Frosty said:

That's the neatest wall mounted system I've seen, although the wiring coming to/from the DB could have been placed inside trunking. Hope Ouzo approves too.

Thanks! 👌 I was pretty stoked with the installation.

Those exposed cables were not part of the new setup which has the nice trunking. But now it annoys me so much, I'm going to have to cover it with trunking myself! 😂

[Frosty]

I'm sure there's a photo, somewhere, of my installation.

[Eddy Gordo]

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

 

I think this post from @Frosty answers most of the questions in the previous posts.

 

For those that cant do an installation wired into the DB board (for whatever reason), these battery boxes are much of a muchness.  R10k seems to be the typical price for these kits.

 

It is truly plug and play !!!  Unplug the lead from the tv at the wall plug, plug it into the battery box ..... plug the battery box in at the wall plug.

 

 

If you can wire into the DB ... take a step back .... and plan properly, or rather, take note of how everybody notes the inevitable "scope creep" !!!  Get the correct inverter, make sure the system can take multiple battery banks and start with what your budget allows now .... Get pv panels on the roof so the system can start paying for itself as soon as your budget allows for this ....

 

PS - In the City of Cape Town (from Somerset west to Atlantis, EXCLUDING Stellenbosch and Paarl), IF you buy your power from COCT your system needs to comply with various rules .... best to get a decent installer that can walk this road with you.

Isnt that if you grid tie only?

My system that I am planning will have its own circuit, thus cutting out the eskom grid.

[ChrisF]

24 minutes ago, Eddy Gordo said:

Isnt that if you grid tie only?

My system that I am planning will have its own circuit, thus cutting out the eskom grid.

 

The way the regulations reads, in the Western Cape, is that as soon as you add PV panels it has to conform to their regulations ....

 

A neighbour (electrical engineer) is now busy disputing this with them.  He wants to operate his system, with PV panels, as a UPS with zero chance of feedback to the grid.  I DO hope he gets this sorted with them ... 

 

 

Should add - a system that is NOT connected to the grid does not have to be approved by the COCT, but must still be registered with NERSA.  I did this for two small systems, it was quick and easy.

[117]

Why register it with Nersa? 

Surely a coc will suffice and doesn't need to regulated by *them? 

Or is it so they can tax you later in life? 

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

I paid R9.5K about 7 years ago for a 1kVA system... I would've thought it would be more, given inflation. Excluding my 14 panels, the 5KvA inverter and battery cost R45k (excluding installation), so also on par per kVA.

 

Deep cycle batteries have only risen slightly since 2010.

 

PV panels have dropped significantly in price.  It used to be R10 per W, now less than R5 per W.

 

I wanted to buy the Victron Multiplus 500/12 .... it was close on R9k about 6 years ago.  Paid R6k for it 3 years ago.

 

 

Wire costs have gone UP !!!!!  Just paid R 4 000 for a roll of 6mm2 ripcord   The wire cost more than the Victron regulator 

 

 

That said .... prices vary drastically depending on the quality of the inverter .... and near impossible to know the quality of the batteries on some of these units .....

 

 

Best advise I got 10 years ago: "Buy the BEST inverter you can afford !!  THIS will take good care of your batteries and appliances.  Batteries are consumables"

 

On my first project I did exactly this, and bought a cheap chinese battery .... it lasted almost 4 years of daily use.

[Eddy Gordo]

2 minutes ago, 117 said:

Why register it with Nersa? 

Surely a coc will suffice and doesn't need to regulated by *them? 

Or is it so they can tax you later in life? 

like what they are trying to implement with borehole water. I while back I read something somewhere about being taxed for use of solar. The son belongs to everyone, but some power hungry animals must always want some of cut of the pie.

[ChrisF]

8 minutes ago, 117 said:

Why register it with Nersa? 

Surely a coc will suffice and doesn't need to regulated by *them? 

Or is it so they can tax you later in life? 

 

National energy regulations ....  This has nothing to do with the local council nor eskom.  I doubt many bother with this.  We jumped through these hoops to test the system.  My neighbour (different neighbour to the electrical engineer) is an electrician and needs to know what he can legally do for his clients ....

 

The COC is a totally different topic, and a VERY important one at that.  PLEASE get a COC for anything that is permanently wired to the home, and make sure to get this on record with your short term and bond insurance.  Going to be many refuted claims in the next couple of years ....

Edited July 15, 2022 by ChrisF

[Eddy Gordo]

1 minute ago, ChrisF said:

 

Deep cycle batteries have only risen slightly since 2010.

 

PV panels have dropped significantly in price.  It used to be R10 per W, now less than R5 per W.

 

I wanted to buy the Victron Multiplus 500/12 .... it was close on R9k about 6 years ago.  Paid R6k for it 3 years ago.

 

 

Wire costs have gone UP !!!!!  Just paid R 4 000 for a roll of 6mm2 ripcord   The wire cost more than the Victron regulator 

 

 

That said .... prices vary drastically depending on the quality of the inverter .... and near impossible to know the quality of the batteries on some of these units .....

 

 

Best advise I got 10 years ago: "Buy the BEST inverter you can afford !!  THIS will take good care of your batteries and appliances.  Batteries are consumables"

 

On my first project I did exactly this, and bought a cheap chinese battery .... it lasted almost 4 years of daily use.

I have one battery still going steady from the initial onset of loadshedding years ago. I only use this battery to power around 10 x 10w 12v Led spots. They are 5cmx5cm in overall size and its either 05. or 1amp. My house is brighter on these lights than what it is on 220v.

So thats what I am heading on doing around the whole house. Moving the spots to outside and doing 12v rope lights all around the corniches throughout the house.

We deciding between a gas fridge or just enough power for the fridge, dishwasher and washing machine. This is where invertor and batteries come in and then offcourse the solar panels.

[117]

12 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

National energy regulations ....  This has nothing to do with the local council nor eskom.  I doubt many bother with this.  We jumped through these hoops to test the system.  My neighbour (different neighbour to the electrical engineer) is an electrician and needs to know what he can legally do for his clients ....

 

The COC is a totally different topic, and a VERY important one at that.  PLEASE get a COC for anything that is permanently wired to the home, and make sure to get this on record with your short term and bond insurance.  Going to be many refuted claims in the next couple of years ....

Thanks chris, but it doesn't answer directly why register with Nersa. 

To me if you're off grid, then you're off grid. The regulating authority can sit on their middle finger as it will have nothing to do with them as I'm off grid. Of course, for insurance (and bond insurance) it's necessary to have a coc

Nersa to me is another future taxing body, that once you've registered you're stuck - akin to the old telly licenses type scenario. 

If, however, there is a major benefit to me or the individual user to register with Nersa then yes, let's all do it. But our esteemed guvment people have shown time and time again that this isn't the case and therefore my suggestion as to what they can do stands

Edited July 15, 2022 by 117

[cfcjim]

One of the main reasons for registration is to allow official statistics to show how many installations exist and the amount of power they can theoretically produce; which then enables feasibility studies into the possibility of alternative energy solutions to be more accurate.
It's not all about taxation.

[117]

Isnt that putting the cart before the horse? 

Sigh, ok, I'm out of my depth for restraint. 

Great thread BTW, lots of info and tips 

[Shebeen]

idt can power itself surely?

push out 90W and you can do a 42In TV no probs

 

 

[Frosty]

5 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

idt can power itself surely?

push out 90W and you can do a 42In TV no probs

That’s where a dumb, wheel on, trainer is smarter than a smart trainer. No load shedding problems.

[PhilipV]

2 hours ago, DJuice said:

Had similar system out our previous house. Was the best money we spend.

When we moved our children for the first time experience load shedding.

After one month pulled the plug for a new system, this time around I just could not afford Victron with all of the other renovations.

I see Nedbank is financing systems even through MFC which is tempting to add another 5.2kw battery and 8 x 545 panels to our existing new system, to my unscientific calcs, we should be very close to off the grid.

So far I am satisfied with the Sunsynk inverter.

Still on the fence with the performance of the Hubble batteries.

 

One of the quotes on my table has Hubble batteries on it. May I ask why you are still on the fence? 

I'm also looking at either a Sunsynk or Mercer inverter. 

I wish the choices was easier.