Tax breaks for rooftop solar in South Africa come with a big catch

[Mista_Mobsta]

The general consensus will always be that any tax incentive is too little. The question is given the allocated budget, what will yield the highest result (increased generation/decreased grid usage).

I'm pretty sure the guys at treasury ran multiple models and determined this would give them most bang for buck.

I get why some guys here would disagree, but their absolute insistence that everyone else is obviously wrong is misguided.

I am still miffed by the general lackluster rebate option offered but at least I understand why they did it the way they did.
I guess our expectations as tax payers were, once again, set too high as we expected a rather big incentive to invest in solar, due to the state of disaster. Hence all the emotional comments in the thread...

 

[Harmonic]

I am still miffed by the general lackluster rebate option offered but at least I understand why they did it the way they did.
I guess our expectations as tax payers were, once again, set too high as we expected a rather big incentive to invest in solar, due to the state of disaster. Hence all the emotional comments in the thread...

This sums it up really nicely

 

[Mista_Mobsta]

This sums it up really nicely

Is what it is...now let's put our heads together and come up with ways to maximise this kakkerige incentive to the max!

Will definitely ask my installer to up the cost on the panels and decrease the cost elsewhere so I can max the tax break. If that isn't an option, we will have to come up with other ways to ensure Kieswetter really earns his stripes

 

[semaphore]

Will definitely ask my installer to up the cost on the panels and decrease the cost elsewhere so I can max the tax break. If that isn't an option, we will have to come up with other ways to ensure Kieswetter really earns his stripes

Until they have a database of components and penalize you for fraud.

 

[Mista_Mobsta]

Until they have a database of components and penalize you for fraud.

Looking at how some installers are making us bite the pillow with the various quotes I have seen posted on MyBB, I am sure we can come up with some sort of plan

 

[Harmonic]

Is what it is...now let's put our heads together and come up with ways to maximise this kakkerige incentive to the max!

Will definitely ask my installer to up the cost on the panels and decrease the cost elsewhere so I can max the tax break. If that isn't an option, we will have to come up with other ways to ensure Kieswetter really earns his stripes

Absolutely! Load those solar panel prices for everyone

My accountant just confirmed I can opt for the 125% option which actually makes a nice difference. I do expect a heavy audit though

 

[Pegging]

do you know why we have no electricity?

not because people don't want to invest to generate electricity, it is because the laws don't allow any company to do that.
if scrapped the eskom, we have no power problem.

got it?

Cape Town’s massive 500MW plan to stop load shedding

Cape Town’s massive 500MW plan to stop load shedding The mayor of Cape Town announces a big win for energy indepedence.

mybroadband.co.za

 

[Spizz]

https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/energy/cape-town-paying-businesses-and-residents-for-excess-power-is-a-glimpse-into-sas-electric-future-3d2f9024-b9d3-4d4d-be72-20972d9c5e9a

Ah, okay, fair enough. So I guess the question would be...

Sell my excess power to the city for R1/kWh which might go a way to helping loadshedding during summer and daytime only but I still sit in the dark in the evening..

OR

Invest in a battery and use it myself in the evenings/night time and save R2.50+/kWh or whatever a unit costs in CT. In Hermanus before solar my monthly unit worked out to be R2.91/kWh.

I should add that using my power in the evening on my own home leaves available capacity for someone else to draw from the grid. It's not much of a choice really, and if the gov had a brain cell between them they might realise that too.

 

[ghaye]

Ah, okay, fair enough. So I guess the question would be...

Sell my excess power to the city for R1/kWh which might go a way to helping loadshedding during summer and daytime only but I still sit in the dark in the evening..

OR

Invest in a battery and use it myself in the evenings/night time and save R2.50+/kWh or whatever a unit costs in CT. In Hermanus before solar my monthly unit worked out to be R2.91/kWh.

I should add that using my power in the evening on my own home leaves available capacity for someone else to draw from the grid. It's not much of a choice really, and if the gov had a brain cell between them they might realise that too.

The other advantage of having the battery is that (in my case at least) you don't spike the grid with a big demand as soon as load-shedding ends.

 

[Pegging]

Ah, okay, fair enough. So I guess the question would be...

Sell my excess power to the city for R1/kWh which might go a way to helping loadshedding during summer and daytime only but I still sit in the dark in the evening..

OR

Invest in a battery and use it myself in the evenings/night time and save R2.50+/kWh or whatever a unit costs in CT. In Hermanus before solar my monthly unit worked out to be R2.91/kWh.

I should add that using my power in the evening on my own home leaves available capacity for someone else to draw from the grid. It's not much of a choice really, and if the gov had a brain cell between them they might realise that too.

You can use your 15000 for whatever you want. Like put it towards inverters or batteries, or maybe lotto tickets.
Up to you what what you want to do with your excess.
I'll probably get 8 more panels in my next tax year. Get a rebate, sell excess to CoCT and be sure my batteries will stay charged.

And the problem they are helping to address is to generate more electricity. Not when it is used.

Oh yes and one more time...
And Steenbras dam...
And

Cape Town’s massive 500MW plan to stop load shedding

The mayor of Cape Town announces a big win for energy indepedence.

businesstech.co.za

 

[Speedster]

The other advantage of having the battery is that (in my case at least) you don't spike the grid with a big demand as soon as load-shedding ends.

Except for the many people who've set their batteries to grid charge after loadshedding...

 

[semaphore]

Except for the many people who've set their batteries to grid charge after loadshedding...

With this shitty rebate im going to make sure I constantly use the grid to charge.

 

[Speedster]

Ah, okay, fair enough. So I guess the question would be...

Sell my excess power to the city for R1/kWh which might go a way to helping loadshedding during summer and daytime only but I still sit in the dark in the evening..

OR

Invest in a battery and use it myself in the evenings/night time and save R2.50+/kWh or whatever a unit costs in CT. In Hermanus before solar my monthly unit worked out to be R2.91/kWh.

I should add that using my power in the evening on my own home leaves available capacity for someone else to draw from the grid. It's not much of a choice really, and if the gov had a brain cell between them they might realise that too.

Selling back to the grid is a municipal matter, not a Treasury one. Treasury has made it cheaper for you to install extra panels. Question now is whether your municipality will come to the party too.

 

[Speedster]

With this shitty rebate im going to make sure I constantly use the grid to charge.

You go guy

 

[semaphore]

You go guy

Thanks my man.

 

[grok]

With this shitty rebate im going to make sure I constantly use the grid to charge.

Me too, I was gonna put up 2 x 100w rigid panels for my Ecoflow, but it won't qualify, now I'm just gonna top up from the grid..

 

[ghaye]

Except for the many people who've set their batteries to grid charge after loadshedding...

Not sure why you would do that. The whole point behind a solar installation is to pay as little as possible for electricity. I only charge from the solar panels.

 

[Speedster]

Not sure why you would do that. The whole point behind a solar installation is to pay as little as possible for electricity. I only charge from the solar panels.

Not everyone has panels/sufficient panels to charge. I guess hence why the panel rebate.

 

[Spizz]

You can use your 15000 for whatever you want. Like put it towards inverters or batteries, or maybe lotto tickets.
Up to you what what you want to do with your excess.
I'll probably get 8 more panels in my next tax year. Get a rebate, sell excess to CoCT and be sure my batteries will stay charged.

Lucky you, I guess you don't give two schits that the vast majority of the country are excluded and therefore cannot contribute to alleviating the issue a little. Well done.

And the problem they are helping to address is to generate more electricity. Not when it is used.

That is entirely wrong and why you might just be struggling with this.

Oh yes and one more time...
And Steenbras dam...

Which helps with a stage. And how did that help out with the droughts?

And

Cape Town’s massive 500MW plan to stop load shedding

The mayor of Cape Town announces a big win for energy indepedence.

businesstech.co.za

I guess we can wait and see how that turns out. Hopefully they do have some real incentives.

 

[Spizz]

Selling back to the grid is a municipal matter, not a Treasury one. Treasury has made it cheaper for you to install extra panels. Question now is whether your municipality will come to the party too.

Sure thing. I don't have the space for extra panels really, but it's a bummer that the population do have the space but no real means or incentive to help them put them up.