"Here comes the sun".
This lyric from a Beatles song seems, to sum up,
an underrated renewable energy source available to all.
It was time for us at Chez Batz to kiss( a not so fond) goodbye
to City Power and by extension, ESKOM.
Well, much of it anyway!
After the recent load shedding that we endured in our suburb,
which was followed by a 40-hour outage due to a blown fuse
on the phase that feeds our house(together with several others in our street),
we decided that it was time to put all my recent research to good use and
install solar panels, batteries and a 5kW inverter.
I had worked on this project for more than a year
as our first quote made our eyes water and the bank manager cringe.
But, having done due diligence, and chatting to friends in similar situations,
I finally came up with a company and a price that suited our budget.
Upfront, I have to say that an installation like this is not cheap,
but given an unstable electrical grid as well as the
constant tariff increases, this route is virtually the only option left
to homeowners. It would be great if there were tax incentives for systems
that 'free' up grid electricity for other users, but currently that is not an option.
This quote from ESKOM seems to sum up their status for the foreseeable future:
"We, however, remind customers that, as the system continues to be vulnerable and unpredictable, the possibility of load shedding remains."
Standing tall!
Dumas wiring up the panels on the roof above our front door.
At present, the total system consists of 9 panels.
Some might see them as an ugly addition to a home,
but luckily we were able to split them so that they were not too intrusive.
The system that has been installed is modular,
and extra components can be added as required.
The other 6 panels are on the side of the roof that faces
the driveway of the pan-handle property behind our house.
They are not visible from the front of our house at all.
These are Tier 1 panels that meet all the relevant safety standards.
Other than a clean once a year, the panels need no other maintenance.
Battery technology has come along in leaps and bounds.
The deep-cycle batteries that used to power these systems,
were large, heavy and needed LOTS of space.
The new lithium batteries are about the size of a DVD
player and are electronically controlled.
The lights on the front panel give you instant information as to the state of the charge.
Being the heart of the system, these can also be the most
expensive part of the installation.
Those who are considering which batteries
to use should also take into account the longevity of the battery.
Deep cycle batteries will last up to 8 years,
while the lithium counterparts are good for 15-20 years.
The batteries still need to be enclosed in a cabinet,
which the suppliers had run out of stock.
That part of the project will be completed in early January,
when to supplier gets his first stock contingent of 2020
UPDATE...
Not only do we have our battery box installed,
we also have invested in another battery...
During this initial phase, we discovered that there was a period
between midnight and about 03h00 when the system
was drawing from the City Power grid.
We have installed the extra battery to get us through that period
and make us almost totally non-dependant on grid power.
The final installation of the inverter and its hardware was neatly done.
The installation is well protected from the weather and is situated
on an outside wall that has a small roof to add further protection from the elements.
In the modern digital age, all the required information is at your fingertips.
You can change the settings from this panel as well.
If there are issues with the batteries,
this fuse switch can disconnect them quickly and efficiently.
And THIS switch cuts the panels out,
should that be required.
Meantime, inside, there is a switch like this,
should you wish to isolate the system for any reason.
Currently ( pun intended) I switch off the main switch during the day,
thus cutting our mains power and running our household
off the 'free' electricity supplied by the sun.
Even on the overcast days that we have had since the installation,
there has been enough power stored in the batteries
to run the system well after dark.
The A-Team.
From L to R, the team...
Dumas, Petros and Gibson.
This was probably the most irritating/problematic part of the whole installation.
Trying to get the connectivity between the App, my home network
and my phone to work...
It took SEVERAL installation attempts to finally get
the App to load and connect with the device
that was attached to the inverter.
That being said, once it connected, it worked seamlessly.
I am able to check the system from anywhere,
without having to physically look at the installation.
The system is designed to run our entire household,
with the exception of the geyser and the oven.
We have a Geyser Wise control fitted to our geyser
to regulate the temperature efficiently.
We also have a gas hob installed, so we can cook...
This is the company that installed our system.
Under the supervision of Bernard Ridge,
his team worked quickly and efficiently to have
the complete system running within 3 days.
Why choose Solco?
1] My initial contact with the company was dealt with promptly.
2] Appointments that were scheduled were kept. If there was going to be a delay,
this was conveyed via What's App.
3] We were offered two quote options, with and without panels,
both of which were professionally completed.
4] We were also offered the option of replacing our current geyser with a solar one.
We chose not to go that route at present.
5] The job was completed within the specified time frame...give or take a couple of hours.
UPDATE!!!
And just like that, load shedding returned!
But at Chez Batz, we were waiting in eager anticipation to see
if our installation was going to work as promised by the installer.
I installed this light to tell me when City Power had restored electricity
after previous load shedding events.
To test the new solar installation, I used it to tell me when City Power
cut the supply...
When it went out, the solar system kicked in so seamlessly
that I did not even notice a dip in power.
In fact, it took me a moment or two to realize that the light had gone out.
Chez Batz continued as if nothing had occurred.
The switchover from City Power to our solar installation was seamless!
In fact, I had to look out of a window to confirm that the power had gone off.
The batteries lasted for the entire duration of the outage
( and still had charge post the shedding)
and we, as a household, were not inconvenienced at all!
Well done to all concerned with this installation.
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