How much you will pay to say goodbye to Eskom

TheChamp said:
No need to call it a specific term, just detail the specs of the installation.
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I have 12 x 360W, and 4x 330W panels, a 5kWh hybrid inverter with 1 x 5.7kWh Lithium ion battery
 
dgm123 said:
I have 12 x 360W, and 4x 330W panels, a 5kWh hybrid inverter with 1 x 5.7kWh Lithium ion battery
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I like that, now if I asked for the cost I will know exactly how much it cost to install all of that, instead of asking about an off grid system, only to find that your off grid only takes me 20% off grid.
 
You will never escape the grid. I have solar PV power to ensure reliable supply, but at a high cost per kWh. The new proposed Eskom pricing model will take money from you every month for the convenience to have an electricity connection, even if you do no use it. I have an empty plot in Mosselbay where I will build in the near future. On my rates bill I pay R298 every month for "electricity availability" although I am not connected to the grid. I plan to go off grid completely in Mosselbay, but the service charge of R298 will always be there.
 
PieterVer said:
You will never escape the grid. I have solar PV power to ensure reliable supply, but at a high cost per kWh.
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What is your cost per kWh and what does your system consist of. I find it hard to believe that the cost per kWh for solar is high.
 
signates said:
What is your cost per kWh and what does your system consist of. I find it hard to believe that the cost per kWh for solar is high.
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If he's in JHB it would be, as we don't pay as much as CoCT at the moment.
 
TheChamp said:
I like that, now if I asked for the cost I will know exactly how much it cost to install all of that, instead of asking about an off grid system, only to find that your off grid only takes me 20% off grid.
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You have to go even a step further by asking what else someone had done to facilitate going off grid.
For instance I also did the following:
  1. Switch stove and hob to gas.
  2. Switched 1 of my 2 geysers to gas.
  3. Replaced all lights with LED.
  4. Replaced all appliances with their most energy efficient version.
  5. Installed a smart program to monitor my system and it can even go so far as to automatically switch things off if the charge in the battery drops to low.
 
PieterVer said:
You will never escape the grid. I have solar PV power to ensure reliable supply, but at a high cost per kWh. The new proposed Eskom pricing model will take money from you every month for the convenience to have an electricity connection, even if you do no use it. I have an empty plot in Mosselbay where I will build in the near future. On my rates bill I pay R298 every month for "electricity availability" although I am not connected to the grid. I plan to go off grid completely in Mosselbay, but the service charge of R298 will always be there.
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Been fully off the grid for 3 years now so have to disagree. By fully I mean there are no cables connecting my house to the city power grid.
 
PieterVer said:
You will never escape the grid. I have solar PV power to ensure reliable supply, but at a high cost per kWh. The new proposed Eskom pricing model will take money from you every month for the convenience to have an electricity connection, even if you do no use it. I have an empty plot in Mosselbay where I will build in the near future. On my rates bill I pay R298 every month for "electricity availability" although I am not connected to the grid. I plan to go off grid completely in Mosselbay, but the service charge of R298 will always be there.
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Is there a cable on the plot?
 
Lupus said:
If he's in JHB it would be, as we don't pay as much as CoCT at the moment.
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Even so. Take the kit below and add 5kwp of panels taking the total to R130k plus another R20k in installation cost. R150k system that will on average generate 25kWh per day. Over 10 years, which is a Conservative estimate on how long it should last with little maintenance required, it will produce 91 250kWh which equates to R1.64/kWh.

GoodWe 4.6kW ES with Pylon 7.0kWh battery Solar Ready Hybrid Kit - Sustainable.co.za

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>This product is made up of the following items:</strong></p> <ul class="disc" style="text-align: justify;"> <li>2 x Pylon US3000 3.5kWh Li-Ion Solar Battery (excl. brackets).</li> <li>1 x Goodwe ES 4.6kW Hybrid I
www.sustainable.co.za www.sustainable.co.za
 
signates said:
Even so. Take the kit below and add 5kwp of panels taking the total to R130k plus another R20k in installation cost. R150k system that will on average generate 25kWh per day. Over 10 years, which is a Conservative estimate on how long it should last with little maintenance required, it will produce 91 250kWh which equates to R1.64/kWh.

GoodWe 4.6kW ES with Pylon 7.0kWh battery Solar Ready Hybrid Kit - Sustainable.co.za

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>This product is made up of the following items:</strong></p> <ul class="disc" style="text-align: justify;"> <li>2 x Pylon US3000 3.5kWh Li-Ion Solar Battery (excl. brackets).</li> <li>1 x Goodwe ES 4.6kW Hybrid I
www.sustainable.co.za www.sustainable.co.za
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Instead of the Goodwe @ R40k get a sunsynk for R20k. Free installation. :ROFL:
 
wingnut771 said:
Instead of the Goodwe @ R40k get a sunsynk for R20k. Free installation. :ROFL:
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Just one example I quickly grabbed on the Internet.

Going to be adding 3 more pylontech batteries eventually and then I can hopefully disconnect completely from CoCT taking my total cost to R260k and R1.58/kWh over 10 years if I generate just what I need which is about 45kwh per day.
 
A quick query. Does one have to / should allow for reducing efficiency of a solar system with time, even the panels? Or do they continue producing their rated output "forever"?
 
Oldfut said:
A quick query. Does one have to / should allow for reducing efficiency of a solar system with time, even the panels? Or do they continue producing their rated output "forever"?
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Panels will degrade to 80% of their rated output over 25 years.
 
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The_Librarian said:
People think they have to get a major installation in one go. This is not required.

If you're willing to rough it, get a gas oven, and gas geyser, then at the minimum you can get 1x fridge and a couple of lights on solar. This will be a good start. This will allow you to escape Eskom shackles and save up for extra panels and batteries etc.

This minimal system will ensure you can have hot water, hot food, and food in the fridge, lights at night, and electricity (during the day) for laptops and cellphone charging.

Then you can expand on that should you require more power.

But you gotta start at a point. No sense in jumping at the deep end and drowning in debt by procuring a YUUUUGE solar system.

Oh, and be prepared to experiment with the optimal location for solar panels.

Be mindful that you put the PV panels in an accessible place (for you) but where these cannot be seen for criminals, as theft of PV panels is a possibility. Or make a plan to "lock down" the panels so these cannot be removed easily.

A definite bonus point is if the inverter can allow you to hook a generator up to provide power to your appliances during inclement weather.

Don't be shy to ask. Visit other people, look at their layout, listen to their experiences, and build on that.
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How many panels do you think one would require to simply have power during loadshedding, so 2 hours a day? I live in Durban so blazing sun most of the year is in good supply lol
 
icy_uranus said:
How many panels do you think one would require to simply have power during loadshedding, so 2 hours a day? I live in Durban so blazing sun most of the year is in good supply lol
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How long is a piece of string.

You need to at least know the wattage of what you plan to run to be able to size the system correctly.
 
Long story short, some of the best money we have spent in the last few years is on our small ESS setup, I just want to get rid of the LA batteries when they die to get LFP batteries for an even more useful system. The first time load shedding hits, especially at night when the neighborhood WhatsApp group Karens start firing off messages, is when you realise the money spent was worth it.
 
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