Solar for business

[Mike Hoxbig]

Not thought about is for the solar option, if you have a rainy day or 2 and stage 6-8 loadshedding, the batteries are never going to cope. The genset will just purr along.

That's why a generator is a good backup. If you have the means, it shouldn't be your primary though.

The optimal order of priority is PV -> battery -> grid - generator.

From a cost perspective, the benefit of PV and batteries is a fixed upfront cost, even though it's high. You pay and that's it. Your electricity budget is now sorted. Grid and fuel are recurring variable costs, and that's never a good thing, especially when working out budgets for your business. But if you need to rely on them, it's best to keep it minimal...

 

[juBa]

I went solar at home, 60KVA diesel genset at the office/workshop. Here's why:

60KVA FAW "silent" genset was R185k. Electrical installation another R30k - 3 phase, 75amps per phase from the genset.

It runs 2 compressors, multiple cut off saws, all workshop lights, whole office including 96 000BTU of aircons.

It uses, on average, R110 of diesel per hour of loadshedding run time (at the current pump price, so about 4 litres per hour). This is less than the 2 petrol generators on wheels we used to run and they wouldn't run aircons.

If we had gone full solar instead, the bill would probably be closer to a million or more. The difference is A LOT of diesel over many many years and the initial outlay is a fraction of the solar.

Not included is servicing of the genset every 250hours.

Not thought about is for the solar option, if you have a rainy day or 2 and stage 6-8 loadshedding, the batteries are never going to cope. The genset will just purr along.

Thanks you for this, I’m thinking about the same now… we had a few more days with the energy monitor and now they say we need 100kw inverter (2 x Deye 50kw) and 200 kw batteries so that we can last a full 6 hours (because our peak went up to 70kw). They sent me the csv files but I don’t understand it. They say fully installed the new quote is 1.9million

Thing is I don’t know if they’re taking the piss or they genuinely do have my best interests at heart.

The quote for a 100kva gennie is at R260k installed. How many years of using diesel and services will make up that R1.9million…

 

[soulie]

Thanks you for this, I’m thinking about the same now… we had a few more days with the energy monitor and now they say we need 100kw inverter (2 x Deye 50kw) and 200 kw batteries so that we can last a full 6 hours (because our peak went up to 70kw). They sent me the csv files but I don’t understand it. They say fully installed the new quote is 1.9million

Thing is I don’t know if they’re taking the piss or they genuinely do have my best interests at heart.

The quote for a 100kva gennie is at R260k installed. How many years of using diesel and services will make up that R1.9million…

from the start 80 kw was looking like a minimum ,i have quite a few customers with small businesses that run mechanical goodies ,all have gone the diesel route .contact DanMik in vereeniging .Speak to Dean directly .

 

[juBa]

from the start 80 kw was looking like a minimum ,i have quite a few customers with small businesses that run mechanical goodies ,all have gone the diesel route .contact DanMik in vereeniging .Speak to Dean directly .

Thank you, I sent him an email as I couldn’t get through the landline.

Problem is I need it installed by Friday as we have a huge function there on Saturday. Previous guy messed us around and now not answering my calls.