The Battery Thread (Solar / Inverter)

Cape Town is anti-solar.

They throw as many spanners in the works as they possibly can.

Both Offgrid or ongrid require registration (and permission), and a CoC.
Technically offgrid doesn't need engineering signoff, just a CoC, but suggest see how far you get without it.

See -


Also of note - Cape Town threatens to fine people with Solar who don't register. Even if you are offgrid.
 
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this is probably a wide question, but how much could one expect to pay to have an inverter and battery installed?
 
@jezzad , you didn't respond to my question, and I am curious (if I may) to know your reasons for considering a 2nd life battery over a cheaper new one? Or did you perhaps miss it in all of the updates?
 
this is probably a wide question, but how much could one expect to pay to have an inverter and battery installed?
Anything from R10k (for a cheap trolley) to R200k for a whole-house solution. It depends on what you want to do with it.
 
Yup in Cape Town...bought my stuff last year. Still waiting on the SSEG application to allow me to install panels.
Eventually got so fed up with loadshedding earlier this month, that I went ahead and installed the inverter+batteries. Panels still waiting in the garage.

At least the house easily survives loadshedding now. Well up to stage 4 it will. But the batteries take longer to charge if you don't have the solar panels, as the inverter only draws up to 350w from the grid for charging in backup mode.

ps. If anyone knows how to get my SSEG app approved faster I would be super happy, been waiting months now, almost a year :(
 
this is probably a wide question, but how much could one expect to pay to have an inverter and battery installed?
Maybe source your own material and just pay for labour, if you know what to look for, I would budget R10k for labour depending on the amount of work that has to be done but I would expect to pay less than that.
 
Yup in Cape Town...bought my stuff last year. Still waiting on the SSEG application to allow me to install panels.
Eventually got so fed up with loadshedding earlier this month, that I went ahead and installed the inverter+batteries. Panels still waiting in the garage.

At least the house easily survives loadshedding now. Well up to stage 4 it will. But the batteries take longer to charge if you don't have the solar panels, as the inverter only draws up to 350w from the grid for charging in backup mode.

ps. If anyone knows how to get my SSEG app approved faster I would be super happy, been waiting months now, almost a year :(
I think Tariq got his approved in less than a month.
 
One week for approval to install and one week for approval to commission , but I sent in my application during level 4 lockdown in May
 
One week for approval to install and one week for approval to commission , but I sent in my application during level 4 lockdown in May
ah ok thank you. Mine was sent in August...nothing yet. The person handling it, is not responding to emails nothing. the sseg.east email line just forwards the mails again to her.
 
so when people say they have bought an inverter, are they generally not aware that they have bought an inverter plus battery?

or you can have inverter without a battery? i ask as some friends seem never to mention battery.

or is it likely that they are talking about inverters that are not off-grid?

all probably stupid questions
 
Hi guys noob here wrt inverters.. Quick question.. If I buy an inverter.. The one that come with a single battery.. How long will it last if only have my tv(220w + soundbar 23W + router(not sure how much power router uses?) will it last the 4 hrs of load shedding? Thx in advance.. Ps.. I could also unplug the soundbar during loadshedding and play sound through TV if this will help
 
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Hi guys noob here wrt inverters.. Quick question.. If I buy an inverter.. The one that come with a single battery.. How long will it last if only have my tv(220w + soundbar 23W + router(not sure how much power router uses?) will it last the 4 hrs of load shedding? Thx in advance.. Ps.. I could also unplug the soundbar during loadshedding and play sound through TV if this will help
As a Stormers fan there's no need to watch more than 10 minutes. .
"How long " depends on size of battery in ah's.
 
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