p_i

And so we begin... Does anybody know whether something like the K2 RibClamp like this... ... is the correct fitting to use on roofs like these: Also, does somebody know what the dimensions of the boxes for the Sunsynk 5kw inverter and Sunsynk 5.32kwh batteries are? I need to determine whether they'll fit in my car or not. Many thanks.

We also skip sessions at times, the most recent one this morning between 4 and 6. It makes you wonder how critical/needed this loadshedding thing really is.

Do they want us to believe that household demand is the largest portion of power usage? Surely the industrial and factory related sectors consume a lot more power? But I suppose it's easier for them to take aim at the soft targets.

Yes, there's a communication cable between them.

Same phishing warning on avast anti-virus.

Just thinking aloud here: wouldn't using that during day time be a way to keep the panels cooler and hence provide better power, especially in the hotter regions of our country?

What's also important is how your solar panels are wired. Do you have one string of 12 panels, or 2 strings of 6 panels each? Which panels (brand, model) do you have, since that will tell us what the operating parameters of the panels are. But as Bobster as mentioned already, we need to know how everything is configured.

Based on the image, it appears you're drawing nothing from the grid (first 2 lines). You're using 322W from PV1 and 2A from your battery to provide 390W of usage. The 322W from PV1 seems low to me, but maybe the sun is not directly on your panels in that image, or shadows are interfering? Also drawing 2A from your battery at that time of day would mean that your battery won't be fully charged by the evening. But then again it could be a horrible solar day there with clouds and rain? What hardware (inverter, battery) do you have? Are the 12 panels in one string?

The panel output will match your load, ie. the panels will not provide more than what you're drawing from the inverter. If you can see that you're for example drawing from battery or grid during this time, then yes, your panels are not providing what they should.

Nicely done!

If you have spare tiles, I'd rather replace the entire tile. This way you'll also have more cable to work with and make a better repair. Also, you know the hole is there and (if you're like me) it's going to haunt you in your sleep. 😁

Fraudsters, so please beware:

I've been told about Apium batteries which is claimed to be a 1C battery yet their infosheet (on www.apium.co.za) shows 0.5C based on the nominal charge/discharge rates. I can't find anything about it on google apart from a few dealers in PE, so I had to ask: does anybody know anything about it? Maybe it's a rebrand of something else?

Their web site is actually being blocked by my anti-virus right now, so yes, a definite no-no: www.lifepo4solar.co.za

Raspberry PI's need 5VDC via USB plug (and the USB port differs depending on the PI model) and the OEM power supplies provide 3A and apparently the PI needs that under very heavy load. But you made a good suggestion on what to use.

Does not look good, so if you really want to use them, rather go check whether they really exist: https://www.hellopeter.com/bovua-solar

Correct. The excess goes nowhere. If you can stagger your loads during the day, you can run most of those on PV and save on utility.

Sadly there appears to be many bad reviews in terms of lacking service as well as one case of fraud: https://www.hellopeter.com/gc-solar

Negative: some very bad reviews for Caprica Solar in terms of repair jobs Caution: there's 2 JCSolar sites: jcsolar.co.za (avoid I think) and jcsolarpanels.co.za (I think they're okay)

That shouldn't be a problem then.

It's not a problem if you go over the max current (Amp) since the inverter will simply clip it. You shouldn't exceed the maximum Volts though, ie. number of panels * panel Voc.

Hypothetical (or not) question: Say you've got limited roof space and the only panels that can optimally fill the space whilst maximising output are 12 x 600W Canadian Solar panels which you want to split in 2 strings of 6. These panels can give 17A max (under some optimal conditions) at 35V but your Sunsynk 5kw inverter is limited to 13A (or 11A as some documentation states). With a string of 6 you have lots of capacity on the voltage side (6 x 35V = 210V), so why not double the voltage via some converter from 210V to 420V whilst at the same time dropping the current from 17A to 8.5A, thereby not having a clipping problem on the inverter and still getting the maximum power? Now... does something like this magic converter exist or is the only solution to upgrade to a Sunsynk 8kw inverter?

If they really want business, you could always offer to pay on collection. Hmm, even though they list a physical address (residential one it seems), I'm not sure I'd want to collect there (safety reasons).

Registration number checks out, but their online pricing is higher than other trusted sites, so not sure what their deal would be.

It's been linked to other scammers by users of mybroadband so yes, rather skip that one.