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Hi all,
I am finally getting round to making this thread.
After loads of research and another bout of load shedding I finally decided to pull the trigger and load shed Eskom.
Prior to going solar I already had all the lights on LEDs, house is kitted with energy efficient appliances and geysers are on evac tubes.
Oven and induction stove will not be changed at present - current system doesnt need this and I dont plan on going totally off the grid an odd kw here or there is ok for me.
Before deciding what system I needed I first started with my daily kW usage and peak kW.
I found that summer had a typical 12kWh a day consumption and winter 18-20kWh and peak kW was around 5ish kW.
With this knowledge in hand I decided to opt for the 8kW Sunsynk Inverter specifically because I want to switch on as I please and not worry about it. Also I didnt plan on telling my wife or domestic not to switch on certain things at a specific time etc. I also decided to go with 3 X 5.5kW Hubble AM2 batteries, was happy with their 1C discharge and really liked their form factor.
Next was solar panels which I decided to go with the 12X535W JA Solar mono perc half cells.
The system is over specd to be future proof and also deal with winter sun and overcast days. The goal was not meant to be off the grid but have Eskom as a backup if needed. My wife and I decided to be a little greener as well and saving at the same time didnt hurt.
I took photos of the sun movement over the two roof areas over the space of a few days tracking exactly where the shadows were to ensure the best placement. Also downloaded a sun tracker app to see the movement of the sun throughout the year. After this two palm trees were removed to ensure the roof got light as early as possible in the morning.
Stefan/Steve (0742189845) from the https://powerforum-store.co.za helped immensely over the space of a few weeks helping me decide on the system and also guiding the ultimate placement of the panels etc. Cannot recommend dealing with Stefan/Steve enough, he is incredible friendly, knowledgeable and most of all very patient which I found very important trying to figure out my exact needs were. Just for the record I reached out to 5 or so other installers/suppliers and he beat them hands down on the initial quote I received not a second quote trying to beat someone else.
Next was finding a reputable installer cannot thank @RonSwanson enough for the recommendation of Werner Heydenrych he also came highly recommended by Stefan/Steve. The quality of workmanship and attention to detail of Werner and his team can put other contractors I have dealt with in the past to shame. Werner and hist team worked meticulously on the project and made sure everything was to our satisfaction before leaving.
The overall experience was nothing short of a perfect 10/10.
Panels up
System installation
Ill pop in more data on the production etc but today represented a sunny day and also a day with the domestic using as needed, kettle, vacuum, tumble dryer, toaster etc.
Base load of house is about 500-600Wh made up of 1 chest freezer, 4 fridges (1 in kitchen 3 for beer production) and 1080 mining away at 2.5 USD a day and lights as needed
Batteries typically charged by 11:30 -12:00 and then pv production matches load requirements.
Everything is set up to upgrade whether it be more batteries or another inverter or more panels all done with that in mind too.
Have another roof where I can place about 14/16 panels just need to see winter sun first
9 March 2022 update - 4th battery installed to prep for winter and being off grid
The
I am finally getting round to making this thread.
After loads of research and another bout of load shedding I finally decided to pull the trigger and load shed Eskom.
Prior to going solar I already had all the lights on LEDs, house is kitted with energy efficient appliances and geysers are on evac tubes.
Oven and induction stove will not be changed at present - current system doesnt need this and I dont plan on going totally off the grid an odd kw here or there is ok for me.
Before deciding what system I needed I first started with my daily kW usage and peak kW.
I found that summer had a typical 12kWh a day consumption and winter 18-20kWh and peak kW was around 5ish kW.
With this knowledge in hand I decided to opt for the 8kW Sunsynk Inverter specifically because I want to switch on as I please and not worry about it. Also I didnt plan on telling my wife or domestic not to switch on certain things at a specific time etc. I also decided to go with 3 X 5.5kW Hubble AM2 batteries, was happy with their 1C discharge and really liked their form factor.
Next was solar panels which I decided to go with the 12X535W JA Solar mono perc half cells.
The system is over specd to be future proof and also deal with winter sun and overcast days. The goal was not meant to be off the grid but have Eskom as a backup if needed. My wife and I decided to be a little greener as well and saving at the same time didnt hurt.
I took photos of the sun movement over the two roof areas over the space of a few days tracking exactly where the shadows were to ensure the best placement. Also downloaded a sun tracker app to see the movement of the sun throughout the year. After this two palm trees were removed to ensure the roof got light as early as possible in the morning.
Stefan/Steve (0742189845) from the https://powerforum-store.co.za helped immensely over the space of a few weeks helping me decide on the system and also guiding the ultimate placement of the panels etc. Cannot recommend dealing with Stefan/Steve enough, he is incredible friendly, knowledgeable and most of all very patient which I found very important trying to figure out my exact needs were. Just for the record I reached out to 5 or so other installers/suppliers and he beat them hands down on the initial quote I received not a second quote trying to beat someone else.
Next was finding a reputable installer cannot thank @RonSwanson enough for the recommendation of Werner Heydenrych he also came highly recommended by Stefan/Steve. The quality of workmanship and attention to detail of Werner and his team can put other contractors I have dealt with in the past to shame. Werner and hist team worked meticulously on the project and made sure everything was to our satisfaction before leaving.
The overall experience was nothing short of a perfect 10/10.
Panels up
System installation
Ill pop in more data on the production etc but today represented a sunny day and also a day with the domestic using as needed, kettle, vacuum, tumble dryer, toaster etc.
Base load of house is about 500-600Wh made up of 1 chest freezer, 4 fridges (1 in kitchen 3 for beer production) and 1080 mining away at 2.5 USD a day and lights as needed
Batteries typically charged by 11:30 -12:00 and then pv production matches load requirements.
Everything is set up to upgrade whether it be more batteries or another inverter or more panels all done with that in mind too.
Have another roof where I can place about 14/16 panels just need to see winter sun first
9 March 2022 update - 4th battery installed to prep for winter and being off grid
The
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