rinners

Sorry if this was already covered, if so please point me to the thread. What are the laws about how much space must be left around each panel or string? I assume as long as there is a way to access the panel for maintenance without if becoming unsafe for the person working on it, but there must be some written law/guidelines? And what about how much space can be left between the tile surface and the bottom of the panel?

I thought there might finally be a solution so I ordered 5 of them on the 6th June: https://www.geewiz.co.za/smart-plugs-switches/215619-geewiz-ewelink-wifi-smart-plug-16a-south-african-power-ac-plug-socket-works-with-alexa-google-home-now-with-energy-monitoring-meter.html They have arrived and after trying them I read this review posted the day after my order: Had I known it was this bad, and not just a couple percent off, which I was hoping was meant by: "*Please note that the energy measurement is just an estimate and might not be an accurate measurement." then I would not have purchased them. I had tried a Tuya version before (Connex variant) which was a little bit off, but decided that having yet another smart home app, especially one as bad as the Tuya was not worth it and returned that also. I would have been fine with a little inaccuracy for finally having a Ewelink solution. Between the 5 units for the same 2000W heater on the same setting: 5099W 5904W 3531W 1553W ~2500W (forgot to screenshot this one) It's a nice product barring this one critical flaw. If all you need to know if there is something drawing power then great, but if you are OCD like me then don't bother

Are they internal fans or do they move external air over the heatsink on the outside?

Which one doesn't have fans? I'm not talking about when the grid drops. I mean when load switches off (like a geyser) the normal course of action would be for a hybrid inverter to temporarily push the PV out to the grid (and maybe changes to DC to charge the battery if that setting is an option). With an export of 0W it instead drops the PV to the remaining load level and slowly ramps up the PV again. It's small but it adds up. With some inverters it's more noticeable and especially with loads like irons and cookers that are on and off all the time. Off grid inverters don't have the export option, though most do have an AC input for generator which one could easily use the grid supply to charge the batteries.

He's asking R13000 not R13600

Hybrids don't seem to be the best for PV production, there's a ramp up delay after a load cuts where it would normally push that power to the grid, but with our export limiter on it doesn't seem to be so fluid and little chunks of PV don't get harvested. Has anyone com across convection cooled off grid inverters? When I looked last month I only found the SMA stuff, which looks pricey.

Typo or maths too quick?

The ATS have a few down sides: 1) They are big 2) They are loud 3) They don't have a lot of cycles. Assuming an average of 2 auto switchings per day that's less than 3 years lifespan (yes I know they are cheap enough) 4) They physically move when changing over. Sometimes enough to trip the EL or breaker either side of it. What are the thoughts on this mini transfer switch? Other than the build quality, is it enough of an interlock? would it pass CoC?

It sounds like that if you have panels on your roof you'll have to have the grid impact study done to get approval to say that you aren't feeding back into the grid so you might as well just leave it as is.

I'm not sure whether you guys in Cape Town you have to pay R30k + VAT to have your installations validated REGARDLESS of whether you sell to the grid or not? This thread is mostly to determine what to do in JHB because of this new requirement for a "grid impact study" of rooftop solar installations. What are the requirements for domestic solar systems in CoCT? Do you only need to register if you wish to feed into the grid or is it compulsory for all installations as it sounds like they are tying to push up north? I've heard that in Cape Town drones where used to find rooftops with solar. Given what you've mentioned about where California ended up and that Eskom seems to be rolling out new meters that track Time of Use I don't think selling back to the grid will be viable for the average home user. And most will have any export turned off currently to avoid getting charged for it currently anyway.

WRT https://api.citypower.co.za/ftp-service/download-pdf/{filepath}?filepath=Media_Room%2FMedia_Statements%2FA_guide_to_solar_instations_in_the_City_of_Johannesburg.pdf 1) What are the current rates for feeding back into the grid? Is there still that R400 odd upfront cost with less that 50% rebate vs what they charge? 2) I've heard that Eskom is slowly switching to meters that track Time Of Use. Would installations with just battery backup require the "solar" registration? 3) Would a completely separate solar circuit (ie no connected to the grid) mean that it is not required to register even if there was an grid supply to the same property?

Now the literature for the 6kW Pro Advanced says Data sheet: Cooling concept - Natural cooling Manual: Intellgent cooling So are there fans on the 6kW Pro Advanced or not?

I wish Luxpower had a passively cooled model. Is that 5min delay not due to using the cloud? Can you not get faster polling locally?

Ok, sounds promising. Do you have a list of the entities that are available from the Home Assistant integration?

I did see that, but it looks like you can only set it to discharge during specific time slots? What if I want it to discharge immediately?