Planning a solar system

Mzezman said:
lol... was more of a comparison on his 190k.. but yes Solar Advice ARE pricier than most... but evidently cheaper than the other quote
Click to expand...
True, I personally kissed many frogs before I found my princess.
 
RonSwanson said:
@Crusader the above is good advice IMHO, granted that this is without an understanding of your personal financial situation.
But get some more quotes, and ensure that Powerforumstore is one of them.
Click to expand...
Oh, I definitely will.

Any idea on how much Powerforum store charges for shipping. I'm sure it can't be R10k for inverter + 2 Hubble batteries.

My main problem will be to find an installer that's will to come here and do the install.
 
Crusader said:
Oh, I definitely will.

Any idea on how much Powerforum store charges for shipping. I'm sure it can't be R10k for inverter + 2 Hubble batteries.

My main problem will be to find an installer that's will to come here and do the install.
Click to expand...
The Powerforumstore was very reasonable with my shipping, I have no reason to believe that yours will be any different, they use Triton Express, and they are competent and reasonably priced.

Steve will usually recommend an installer, the installer usually gives a quote after a site visit, It's not something that you want to thumbsuck, every install is different, apart from amount of panels, it depends on distances, and whether the home needs to split the DB or not, also whether the current home's wiring is up to snuff or not. Lots of variables.
Steve will also ensure that the wiring and breakers quoted on can be re-used when you decide to expand (obviously to the best of his ability). It makes expansion easy when you order another 4-10 panel 2 months later, you don't have to redo cabling and breakers.
The upside of getting a installer recommendation from Steve is that he is in the know on how all of the installers perform, he knows exactly what their latest install was like, if there were any complaints he would be the first to know.

But you don;t have to go with his recommendation, you can choose whomever you want.
List of accredited Sunsynk installers here: https://www.sunsynk.org/approved-installers-1
There are pages and pages of them.
 
RonSwanson said:
The Powerforumstore was very reasonable with my shipping, I have no reason to believe that yours will be any different, they use Triton Express, and they are competent and reasonably priced.

Steve will usually recommend an installer, the installer usually gives a quote after a site visit, It's not something that you want to thumbsuck, every install is different, apart from amount of panels, it depends on distances, and whether the home needs to split the DB or not, also whether the current home's wiring is up to snuff or not. Lots of variables.
Steve will also ensure that the wiring and breakers quoted on can be re-used when you decide to expand (obviously to the best of his ability). It makes expansion easy when you order another 4-10 panel 2 months later, you don't have to redo cabling and breakers.
The upside of getting a installer recommendation from Steve is that he is in the know on how all of the installers perform, he knows exactly what their latest install was like, if there were any complaints he would be the first to know.

But you don;t have to go with his recommendation, you can choose whomever you want.
List of accredited Sunsynk installers here: https://www.sunsynk.org/approved-installers-1
There are pages and pages of them.
Click to expand...
I'll definitely contact Steve once I have the necessary funds available. Don't want to waste his time just now.

I've gone through the Sunsynk approved installers and there are only 4 on their list in the George/Oudtshoorn area which limits the prospects somewhat.
 
Crusader said:
I'll definitely contact Steve once I have the necessary funds available. Don't want to waste his time just now.

I've gone through the Sunsynk approved installers and there are only 4 on their list in the George/Oudtshoorn area which limits the prospects somewhat.
Click to expand...
Cool, so at least you now have 4 to choose from. When you talk to Steve, ask him if he knows them, and which ones he'd recommend. This kind of information is priceless, and you'd be very surprised what comes out. I recall having a very interesting conversation with him about one very high profile installer, who also came highly recommended on The Powerforum. It appears that the guy had a very steep (and expensive) learning curve / history. Installers are only as good as their last install, and few people know what the last install looked like, but Steve is one of them. He takes his installer recommendations very seriously, because his own reputation is on the line.
 
Crusader said:
I'll definitely contact Steve once I have the necessary funds available. Don't want to waste his time just now.

I've gone through the Sunsynk approved installers and there are only 4 on their list in the George/Oudtshoorn area which limits the prospects somewhat.
Click to expand...
The prices on the inverter and battery and panels you got quoted on are high. I just paid R900 more than what i paid in november this week for my second hubble that i ordered from Steve. You mentioned the installer would be willing to install for you if you sourced the parts. I would say go that route.

As you mentioned you have a few sunsynk approved installers in your area. That's good. I had none
 
W@P said:
The prices on the inverter and battery and panels you got quoted on are high. I just paid R900 more than what i paid in november this week for my second hubble that i ordered from Steve. You mentioned the installer would be willing to install for you if you sourced the parts. I would say go that route.

As you mentioned you have a few sunsynk approved installers in your area. That's good. I had none
Click to expand...

I'll have to go the route of sourcing the parts myself if it comes to that. R25k is quite a difference in price. Even with courier fees etc. I'm guessing Powerforum pricing would still be R20k cheaper.

The 4 installers are in my greater area. Still 300+km away so travelling costs will be an added expense for all of them.

There's still loads to do before I can seriously look at getting the install done. I've got 1/3 of the cost to still save up for, have to get everything sorted with the property owner (some way to recoup my investment) through reduced rental and a more accurate picture of actual usage, especially overnight.
 
RonSwanson said:
Cool, so at least you now have 4 to choose from. When you talk to Steve, ask him if he knows them, and which ones he'd recommend. This kind of information is priceless, and you'd be very surprised what comes out. I recall having a very interesting conversation with him about one very high profile installer, who also came highly recommended on The Powerforum. It appears that the guy had a very steep (and expensive) learning curve / history. Installers are only as good as their last install, and few people know what the last install looked like, but Steve is one of them. He takes his installer recommendations very seriously, because his own reputation is on the line.
Click to expand...

Will definitely do that. This turns out to be a far more involved process than I thought it would be.
 
Crusader said:
I'll have to go the route of sourcing the parts myself if it comes to that. R25k is quite a difference in price. Even with courier fees etc. I'm guessing Powerforum pricing would still be R20k cheaper.

The 4 installers are in my greater area. Still 300+km away so travelling costs will be an added expense for all of them.

There's still loads to do before I can seriously look at getting the install done. I've got 1/3 of the cost to still save up for, have to get everything sorted with the property owner (some way to recoup my investment) through reduced rental and a more accurate picture of actual usage, especially overnight.
Click to expand...
A rental place does complicate matters somewhat, but it could be a blessing if the Landlord could be convinced to make a contribution to the capex? Solar Panels are 20-25 year warranty items.
 
Any good reason why you are considering spending that much on solar if you are staying at someone's place @Crusader?

Or it's not the regular rental arrangement?
 
Growatt 5kw hybrid inverter x 2 = R24,000
10,000w of panels = R45,000 (depending on type)
Pylontech 4.8kw lithium battery x2 = R44,000 (they're excellent batteries)
Installation, mounting + mumbo jumbo = R25,000 (I guessed and chose a large number)

Total = R138,000

R57,000 cheaper for a system almost twice as large.

You could wait a bit as Growatt are releasing their own batteries shortly and it'll be interesting to see how they perform.
 
Wrath of Khan said:
Growatt 5kw hybrid inverter x 2 = R24,000
10,000w of panels = R45,000 (depending on type)
Pylontech 4.8kw lithium battery x2 = R44,000 (they're excellent batteries)
Installation, mounting + mumbo jumbo = R25,000 (I guessed and chose a large number)

Total = R138,000

R57,000 cheaper for a system almost twice as large.

You could wait a bit as Growatt are releasing their own batteries shortly and it'll be interesting to see how they perform.
Click to expand...
There are indeed many ways to go about without breaking the bank.
 
Wrath of Khan said:
Growatt 5kw hybrid inverter x 2 = R24,000
10,000w of panels = R45,000 (depending on type)
Pylontech 4.8kw lithium battery x2 = R44,000 (they're excellent batteries)
Installation, mounting + mumbo jumbo = R25,000 (I guessed and chose a large number)

Total = R138,000

R57,000 cheaper for a system almost twice as large.

You could wait a bit as Growatt are releasing their own batteries shortly and it'll be interesting to see how they perform.
Click to expand...
Do you have a Growatt?
 
Is it doff for me to ask for all these lovely quotes to come with a breakdown for the lay person?

Something like - this solar setup can produce peak output of 2000W, for a period of x hours, and the batteries can last for y hours at peak load? I always find it hard to figure out value of a system when broken down into its composite parts...

Shorthand would be

Cost: R150k
Max output: 2000W
Battery life: 5 hours at full load

I know there are many other variables and considerations but that would certainly help me...
 
hj2k_x said:
Is it doff for me to ask for all these lovely quotes to come with a breakdown for the lay person?

Something like - this solar setup can produce peak output of 2000W, for a period of x hours, and the batteries can last for y hours at peak load? I always find it hard to figure out value of a system when broken down into its composite parts...

Shorthand would be

Cost: R150k
Max output: 2000W
Battery life: 5 hours at full load

I know there are many other variables and considerations but that would certainly help me...
Click to expand...

Take your total panel kw and multiply by 5. This will give your an average power day. Note that the daily winter average could be as low as 3 sun hours and summer can go to 7 sun hours depending on panel alignment.

Battery you can look at you base load and divide by the battery capacity.

5kWh battery running a constant load of 500w will last 5 hours from 100% to 0%. So you will need to reduce the time as you don't want your lithium batteries to go below 10%.
 
My panels are not optimally tilted and in summer on a clear day I can get just over 6 sun hours and a clear winters day it's down to 3 sun hours. Screenshot_20220127-113114_SOLARMAN%20Business.jpgScreenshot_20220127-113202_SOLARMAN%20Business.jpg
 
AchmatK said:
Take your total panel kw and multiply by 5. This will give your an average power day. Note that the daily winter average could be as low as 3 sun hours and summer can go to 7 sun hours depending on panel alignment.

Battery you can look at you base load and divide by the battery capacity.

5kWh battery running a constant load of 500w will last 5 hours from 100% to 0%. So you will need to reduce the time as you don't want your lithium batteries to go below 10%.
Click to expand...
Thanks. This is useful. Reading all these posts and online articles, you can see why energy production is often left to the state. Not straightforward stuff for most lay people.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X