Keith Fawcett

Power Forum – Retirement Village Queries 2023/05/10 – Keith Fawcett, Hout Bay


 
Current Status

1.       I live in a Retirement Village in Cape Town – 40-Units (30-off 2-Bedroom Cottages + 10-off Single Bedroom Flats.


 
-          I am seeking to make a ‘sensible/well-reasoned Submission’ to the Body Corporate to address the problem of Load Shedding.

-          therefore, I need to be able to answer multiple queries


 
2.       ALL Units are North-facing with Sloping Roofs – all Units have individual Electricity Meters.


 
3.       There are currently multiple Solar Panels on the Roofs of Garages in the Car Parking area,- these Solar panels connect directly to City of Cape Town (CoCT) who ‘credit’ the Body Corporate (BC) Monthly Electricity Account accordingly – the BC then calculates the applicable ‘Electricity Usage’ accordingly to each Unit.


 
4.       There is (currently) NO Battery Storage facility – except for one medium-size Back-Up Battery to power the Security System at the Complex (Electric Fence – Security cameras, Electric Entrance Gates, some Security Lights, Communication to security Company, etc.)


 
5.       The ‘harvesting’ of our Solar Energy is ‘lost’ during Load-Shedding periods – since there is NO Electricity Connection to CoCT during that period.


 
QUERY-1. – ONE LARGE SYSTEM COVERING ALL 40-UNITS

6.       Is it feasible to install “ONE LARGE” Battery Back-Up system sufficient to provide (being the equivalent of a single 5kwh Inverter Battery Back-up to each Unit)?


 
7.       Is there a system which would prevent the ‘tripping’ of such a System if a Resident turns-on a high-power usage Appliance e.g. Kettle, Electric Heater, etc., and shutting-down the entire electricity supply to the whole Complex?


 
QUERY-2. – INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM FOR EACH UNIT

8.       Is it more feasible/more economical, to install individual 5kwh Inverter/Battery Back-up installations to each Unit?


 
9.       Initially (Phase 1 of the Project) we would be looking at installing individual Inverter/Battery Back-up – without Solar Panels, i.e. each Unit would be ‘harvesting’ Back-up energy from the CoCT – we are aware that there is a current ’back-log’ of supply of Solar Panels of approx. 12-months, but we need an interim solution to the Load-Shedding.


 
10.   Subsequently (i.e. Phase 2 of the Project), we would advance to installing individual Solar Panels to each Unit to harvest energy into their existing Battery Back-up systems.


 
11.   There would /could possibly be facility for further ‘harvesting’ of this ‘now-extended Solar power’ for supply to CoCT – after the individual Battery-Back-ups were fully charged (?).

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS

12.   We are living in a Retirement Village with elderly Residents.

13.   We would not wish to have a variety of different Inverter/Battery Back-up systems.

14.   We cannot expect our elderly Residents to be subjected to ‘poorly reasoned’ Inverter Battery Back-up systems.

15.   ‘We’ would require systems which are well-designed for our particular requirement(s), and well-serviced’ by a reputable Contractor.

I have taken the opportunity to ‘ask advice’ from the Solar Forum, in the hope that I can be able to supply well-reasoned/well -researched written advice.


 
Best Regards

Keith Fawcett

[email protected]

(Retired ‘Scientist’ – 80-yrs old in September 2023)

Power Forum – Retirement Village Queries 2023/05/10 – Keith Fawcett, Hout Bay


 
Current Status

1.       I live in a Retirement Village in Cape Town – 40-Units (30-off 2-Bedroom Cottages + 10-off Single Bedroom Flats.


 
-          I am seeking to make a ‘sensible/well-reasoned Submission’ to the Body Corporate to address the problem of Load Shedding.

-          therefore, I need to be able to answer multiple queries


 
2.       ALL Units are North-facing with Sloping Roofs – all Units have individual Electricity Meters.


 
3.       There are currently multiple Solar Panels on the Roofs of Garages in the Car Parking area,- these Solar panels connect directly to City of Cape Town (CoCT) who ‘credit’ the Body Corporate (BC) Monthly Electricity Account accordingly – the BC then calculates the applicable ‘Electricity Usage’ accordingly to each Unit.


 
4.       There is (currently) NO Battery Storage facility – except for one medium-size Back-Up Battery to power the Security System at the Complex (Electric Fence – Security cameras, Electric Entrance Gates, some Security Lights, Communication to security Company, etc.)


 
5.       The ‘harvesting’ of our Solar Energy is ‘lost’ during Load-Shedding periods – since there is NO Electricity Connection to CoCT during that period.


 
QUERY-1. – ONE LARGE SYSTEM COVERING ALL 40-UNITS

6.       Is it feasible to install “ONE LARGE” Battery Back-Up system sufficient to provide (being the equivalent of a single 5kwh Inverter Battery Back-up to each Unit)?


 
7.       Is there a system which would prevent the ‘tripping’ of such a System if a Resident turns-on a high-power usage Appliance e.g. Kettle, Electric Heater, etc., and shutting-down the entire electricity supply to the whole Complex?


 
QUERY-2. – INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM FOR EACH UNIT

8.       Is it more feasible/more economical, to install individual 5kwh Inverter/Battery Back-up installations to each Unit?


 
9.       Initially (Phase 1 of the Project) we would be looking at installing individual Inverter/Battery Back-up – without Solar Panels, i.e. each Unit would be ‘harvesting’ Back-up energy from the CoCT – we are aware that there is a current ’back-log’ of supply of Solar Panels of approx. 12-months, but we need an interim solution to the Load-Shedding.


 
10.   Subsequently (i.e. Phase 2 of the Project), we would advance to installing individual Solar Panels to each Unit to harvest energy into their existing Battery Back-up systems.


 
11.   There would /could possibly be facility for further ‘harvesting’ of this ‘now-extended Solar power’ for supply to CoCT – after the individual Battery-Back-ups were fully charged (?).

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS

12.   We are living in a Retirement Village with elderly Residents.

13.   We would not wish to have a variety of different Inverter/Battery Back-up systems.

14.   We cannot expect our elderly Residents to be subjected to ‘poorly reasoned’ Inverter Battery Back-up systems.

15.   ‘We’ would require systems which are well-designed for our particular requirement(s), and well-serviced’ by a reputable Contractor.

I have taken the opportunity to ‘ask advice’ from the Solar Forum, in the hope that I can be able to supply well-reasoned/well -researched written advice.


 
Best Regards

Keith Fawcett

[email protected]

(Retired ‘Scientist’ – 80-yrs old in September 2023)