sam_i_am

Hi Drew I'm in the market for higher capacity batteries, and was also eyeing these HinaESS 16kw batteries. I couldn't quite find a local manufacturer website locally, but the international site (https://hinaess.com/contact-us) notes CNBM International South Africa (Pty) Ltd as the local support. Unfortunately I can only see feedback from hellopeter on these guys (https://www.hellopeter.com/cnbm-international-south-africa) and doesn't look great. Have you had any experience with them regarding support?

Hi everyone Just wanted to gauge peoples experience and opinions on some of the newer "budget" 1C batteries out there, as not everyone has R35k to R40k to spend on a Hubble AM5 or Freedom Won. Batteries that caught my attention are: Greenrich Volta Esener Anyone have any experience with these so far, or has anyone opened them up? Are there any other decently priced 1C 5kw batteries out there between R25k to R30k? Regards Sam

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback!

Hi everyone, I have a few questions on 3 phase power in SA. I couldn't find any straight answers on google. 1. Why do the loads on a 3 phase power system need to be "balanced". Is this only to avoid tripping/overloading any single phase? 2. Does balance mean, at any given time, the loads are at somewhat equal power draw across all 3 loads? Or does it simply mean that each phase does not exceed a certain power draw, and certain phases can remain idling? For example, I have geysers and aircons on phase 2 and 3, and all my main plugs, lights, appliances etc on phase 1. Phase 1 is going to in use 90% of the time, as the geysers operate on timers, and aircons are hardly in use, only when required. In this case, phase 1 gets the most constant use, and phases 2 and 3 are mostly idle. But if I were to look at power draw over say a month, the geyers would obviously add up. 3. How is the electricity bill determined in 3 phase? Is it simply a case of the power usage for each phase being calculated and added together? 4. What are the consequences of unbalanced loads? I have heard that you will be charged more if your loads are unbalanced, or is this nonsense? 5. Based on google searches, unbalanced loads mainly affects performance of 3 phase equipment such as motors etc. I do not have any such equipment. My pool pump states single phase motor. Are there are other consequences? 6. If I were to get a single phase inverter and solar setup in a 3 phase setup, I assume its fine if all I am worried about is powering items on phase 1? 7. Is it easy to get prepaid meters for 3 phase setups? I am based in JHB and currently a COJ customer. Are there any issues with having prepaid and a solar setup (assuming no grid feedback) ?

Thanks so much to @Steve87 and @Bobster.. Clarified a lot of my concerns. And its nice to see the practical demonstration of your system Bob, and thanks for the advice on 8kw, think that would be the minimum to go with then. @Bobster.what monitoring tool / software is that? Did it come standard with your inverter? I think the biggest headache for me will be the 3 phase issue - my electrician for some reason is very hesitant to convert from 3 phase to single phase and is making a big deal out of it. Maybe time to change my electrician 😆. Unfortunately I have no idea of the ramifications of converting down and the cost thereof. If I understand correctly, it seems if I stick with a single phase inverter with my current 3 phase grid setup, then the benefit of the solar PV feeding the non-essentials during the day will be lost, as it will only deal with the essential phase items. Converting to single phase, the benefit can be applied to both the essentials (battery connected) and non-essentials (not battery connected, but savings through PV) The other option would be to just go the 3 phase route and get a 12kw like this ( https://www.inverter-warehouse.co.za/products/deye-12kw-3-phase-hybrid-inverter ) , but then I may just be throwing money away, since a 8kw single phase is about 30% cheaper a) On 3 phase systems, are the phases split 4kw each, or will the 12kw be available for all and the power distributed based on load of each phase? b) Are the install costs on a 3 phase system significantly higher? c) Is the power draw of operating the actual inverter itself much higher on the 3 phase ones?

Hi all, I’m a noob when it comes to inverters and solar etc, however I think I need to finally take the plunge and get a system in place. Not sure if there is a sticky thread here to help beginners, as this is my first post. I’ve done a bit of reading here and there, however still need some guidance. Currently living in a house, just the wife and myself for now. We have 3 phase power with surge protection, 2 geysers (we only use one, with a geyserwise timer, whilst the other we switch on only when we have guests), gas stove, 2 electric ovens, 3 aircons, dishwasher, washing machine, swimming pool, double garage, electric fence, 90% of lights LED etc. Average electricity usage is around 600kwh per month, with a bill around R2000 pm (of which half is just fixed costs from CoJ) Looking at a solar hybrid inverter system, however I don’t want to go overkill and be totally off-grid. Basically want to be able to run the following for 5 hours plus: Fridge and freezer, lights, TV, amp and sound system with sub, gaming pc, fibre router and ont, cctv system, alarm, fence. The router & ont, alarm, garage doors and fence already have their own batteries and UPS, however if they can run off the entire system, why not. The geysers, aircons, oven, pool pump, dishwasher, washing machine I would deem non-essential. Stovetop is gas, and kettle I can use gas. Not sure whether inverters and batteries can handle microwaves and airfryers, but I can get by if needs be. I need some guidance/confirmation on the following, for my understanding: 1. I have 3 phase power, so will I need to get a 3 phase inverter? I was told that I don’t need to, and that I just need to re-wire my board to get my essentials on a single phase and the non- essentials running between the other 2. 2. Will it be better to convert to single phase? How complicated and costly is this, and does CoJ need to get involved and does my meter need to change? 3. Is it better to have two actual DB boards, one essential and one non-essential, or can the inverter just be hooked up to the relevant breakers individually? 4. There is a big cost difference between Sunsynk and Victron, and I’ve heard that Victron is the best. Is there a tangible difference that justifies the price? 5. I see some inverters are 12v, some 24v and other 48v+. I assume the higher power requirements demand higher voltage for lower resistance/current and more stable operation? 6. Would 5kva be fine for my needs above, or is it better to invest in 8kva? 7. Whilst the batteries are meant to power essential loads, can the solar system still feed power and apply savings to the other non-essential phases/loads during the day? Or will a full 3-phase inverter be required for this? 8. Maybe a dumb question, but when running on batteries during the day, can the system still charge the batteries whilst they are being used to power my appliances, and thus drain them at a lower rate? 9. I previously assumed that all that matters for batteries are the AH rating for capacity and voltage. I realise now that batteries are also rated for kw, and I should also look for discharge rates of 1C for full power delivery. So I assume for a 5 to 5.5kva system I would need a 5kw battery at 1C? And as I go up the inverter ladder (8kva) I would need batteries that deliver more, and thus cost significantly more? 10. What battery capacities should I be looking at for my needs for 5hrs? 100ah, 200ah? 11. Whilst I won’t plan on using the dishwasher and washing machine during loadshedding, would the above system be able to handle running them if they have already started their cycle and there is a power failure? 12. How many panels are suggested for a 5kva - 8kva system. 13. Considering whether to mount the solar on my roof (tile) or garage (IBR). Any advantages or disadvantages? I prefer the garage, as the inverter and batteries can also be stored there, and have a suspicion that the garage gets more sun. 14. How does one determine best location in terms of direct sun? Can I determine this easily or does an installer need to measure this with specialized equipment? I notice the Sun’s path/angle varies between summer and winter. 15. Based on experience, are most of the electricity savings achieved by solar in the day, or by running off batteries in the evening? 16. Are there any households that have fed back to the grid to achieve savings, or is this legislation still miles away? 17. Battery recommendations? Hubble? That’s about all for now, sorry if they seem like dumb questions, just want to get my facts right before going ahead and don’t want to be ripped off by an installer. Appreciate your feedback J