Solar power system installations plummeted in the first half of 2024 in South Africa

LCBXX said:
Not sure exactly how much.
It starts taking solar-charge from about 09:00 and I have it set to cut back back to discharge when it reaches 60%; the current 200Ah-48v battery is full latest 14:00. This is on days when my Domestic is here, using the Dishwasher/Dryer/Washer/Vacuum/etc.

My problem is with how much I can store and what extra I need to not have to worry about it running out by 22:00-ish, whilst also not being conservative with usage. I've calculated that another 200Ah battery could take me to 04:00 or so.

If I upgrade to 800Ah+ battery storage, I will be able to run completely independent with abundance. I'll probably also need 4 more panels to get the batteries pumped when it's cloudy.
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imo the goal isn't to carry everything overnight, though if the budget allows a person can go there, working towards that
the goal is to use whatever you can produce at the moment

how big is your solar array
how much do you produce
then you can estimate how much you are losing
and decide if you want to spend the money to grab those losses
 
leon.davibe said:
imo the goal isn't to carry everything overnight, though if the budget allows a person can go there, working towards that
the goal is to use whatever you can produce at the moment

how big is your solar array
how much do you produce
then you can estimate how much you are losing
and decide if you want to spend the money to grab those losses
Click to expand...
His loads are at night as mentioned earlier.
 
yea i think the more properly set up systems we have the more the infection will spread

the incubation period who knows
you need a few moths maybe a year to get a enough data
to say yea saving x amount per year and x amount of my bill is immune to eskom increases, then others say ok so pay back period is x that sounds good
and the solar infection spreads


my data is a bit kak since i added panels one by one as i had cash so my mppt powered up 13 july last year
so i have 1yr 2weeks
last panels went up nov so few months to go to have one years data on curent array size (3.65kwp)

skipped out on R12.7k / 4582 of eskom units to date
 
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Lupus said:
Today is looking even worse
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Today our boob will be a desiccated husk of a prickly pear.

If it's going to be like this at least let us remember what rain is like, dammit.
 
Flanders said:
Today our boob will be a desiccated husk of a prickly pear.

If it's going to be like this at least let us remember what rain is like, dammit.
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Yup exactly :-( I mean the strangest thing is it always seems to be the first of the month, same happened in June and July.
 
duderoo said:
Any comments on this setup
View attachment 1748126
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Most tend to say going 8kw has made their life easier not having to worry about trips due to overload during shedding

Plus side it has lots of mppt capacity 10.4kwp so a person can go from minimum 4 panels up to edit probably18/20 to have balanced strings

Each has to decide if the price premium on certain items are worth it ie battery for Warranty etc

For me price per kw is what matters

ie an item half the price has half the roi even if you feel it was a bad product as long as it can ROI quick does it matter?

If financing things i would go higher priced inverter (to have proper hybrid makes savings easier) cheapest panels and battery
Per kw/kwh
 
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leon.davibe said:
Most tend to say going 8kw has made their life easier not having to worry about trips due to overload during shedding

Plus side it has lots of mppt capacity 10.4kwp so a person can go from minimum 4 panels up to 19

Each has to decide if the price premium on certain items are worth it ie battery for Warranty etc

For me price per kw is what matters

ie an item half the price has half the roi even if you feel it was a bad product as long as it can ROI quick does it matter?

If financing things i would go higher priced inverter (to have proper hybrid makes savings easier) cheapest panels and battery
Per kw/kwh
Click to expand...
I have heard the same and the reason I would like to go for the 8KW
 
noticed this post on the lifepower thread so just playing parrot (since we mentioned/provided links), not making statements enquire to the OP if needed
though other say ordering has been disabled , so they are at least seeming to do this resposibly

BBSA said:
Given Scott's financial difficulties, it might be prudent to refrain from placing any further orders.
Click to expand...
 
LCBXX said:
Not sure exactly how much.
It starts taking solar-charge from about 09:00 and I have it set to cut back back to discharge when it reaches 60%; the current 200Ah-48v battery is full latest 14:00. This is on days when my Domestic is here, using the Dishwasher/Dryer/Washer/Vacuum/etc.

My problem is with how much I can store and what extra I need to not have to worry about it running out by 22:00-ish, whilst also not being conservative with usage. I've calculated that another 200Ah battery could take me to 04:00 or so.

If I upgrade to 800Ah+ battery storage, I will be able to run completely independent with abundance. I'll probably also need 4 more panels to get the batteries pumped when it's cloudy.
Click to expand...
A simple way to store more energy without spending a ton on a battery is to smarten up your geyser.

For example, my geyser uses around 12.5 kWh per day, but the majority of that is solar energy:
1723116786509.png

Notice the times that it ramps up, mostly between 9:00 and 16:00.

I made a smart thermostat for my geyser, based on a Geyserwise thermostat and a Sonoff THR320, and use Home Assistant to change the set point based on battery State of Charge as well as the rate at which the battery is charging. It's normally set to 45C, but goes up to 70C when possible. I did also install a 2kW element instead of the default 3kW, just so that it fits within the profile of the panels, and doesn't start discharging the battery.

Total cost for the smart thermostat was around R600 (compared to the full Geyserwise of about R3000), and control is fully local - ie. does not depend on my internet connection being up. Compared to around R20k for a 5kWh battery, I'm quite happy with the results.

Granted a battery is more versatile, and if you have a heat pump rather than a resistive element, your savings would be reduced.
 
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