johnna

Hi Bruce, sounds interesting, post here so that everyone can benefit

Thanks Chris. I decided to add another battery (so 20kw in total) so far I am getting it charged up to between 95 and 100% but my neighbors nut tree is now throwing full shade on my panels in the morning. It only starts charging around 09:30

Thank you!

Thank you, really appreciate this!

Hi all, so yesterday Tshwane came and installed a prepaid meter at my house. I bought R400 worth of electricity through my banking app and it gave me 130kw. So it cost R3.07 per kilowatt. Is that the going rate? It seems a bit pricey to me? Then my next question is about the flaging or blocking of the meter. My solar system actually runs my house pretty well. In the last 5 months I have only used 40kw from grid. I have heard that if your meter is not loaded with power monthly they flag you for investigation. Or just block the meter. Does anyone know what the minimum amount you can load per month to avoid this? Thanks all

That sounds like a great system! Unfortunately here it would be very expensive to upgrade the batteries to 80kw, but I think I will increase the panels. Thank for your input!

No problem, thank you🙏

It was not me who made the second statement 👍 it was Jamila

Yes, I also read the article. City of Tshwane said they will only remove the connection if the building is being demolished or rebuilt ect. They flat refuse to remove a standard residential connection

Hi Robbie, I am sorry but I really don't. I tried everything to get them talking to each other and the inverter. The supplier was 0 help. Tried running them down and charging them up together a few times. Tried leaving them connected to each other for a week or so to let them equalize... but nothing, I eventually gave up and got rid of them. I am sorry the news isn't better. Maybe someone here will have a solution for you

I agree with all you have said.... but the municipality says they will not remove the cable and meter... so it leaves me right back at the start un fortunately. Is there anyone here in Tshwane that managed to disconnect from the grid? I would love to know how you did it

So with all the media hype around us all getting fined if we don't register our solar systems I am trying to get it sorted out so I can just carry on with my life. My first attempt was to talk to one of these companies (who have great reviews) who go and sort out your issues with City of Tshwane and get them to apply for a total removal of the eskom line and meter. They informed me that it can't be done (although there is a pretty good article on Mybroadband stating it can be done) So option 2 is to register the system with COT I have read up on the basics (application form, requirement for engineers, circuit diagrams etc etc). Then I called a service provider who does these applications on your behalf. They informed me that they are no longer taking applications for City of Tshwane as they have applications dating back to 2022 that they have had zero feedback on. So what do we do now? Has anyone done this? Can you recommend anybody to help?

Hi Bobster Reviving an old thread here. can I just confirm with you that you are talking about this company? https://www.pureenergysolutions.co.za/ I also want to get compliant but there are so many fly by nights it's scary

Thank you very much Youda!

I am pretty new to this stuff, so I may be totally wrong🤣. Here is the report for the year so far

Thank you Jay for the valuable input. I agree that the dual geyser heating system might be the way to go. My consumption is around 900kw per month (although it goes up quite a bit running the AC when the power is free). Having seen some people who have 'leagalised'their solar systems having to pay between 20 and 50k I would rather take that money and invest it in a generator. Then you have to pay the " energy availability fee" per month... then we never know what stupid law they will think up next. All in all, I just think it's better to get rid of eskom entirely. Our local municipality has overcharged me for electricity by about R4500 per month so far, so I think for my sanity I just want to get away from eskom. Is my thinking flawed? I am pretty pissed

Thanks, I am normally fully charged by 10am, think I may start with 1 extra battery and see how it goes...

Thank you for an axcellent answer! Wow!

Hi all, with all this new BS from Eskom I am planning to bid the grid farewell soon. My installation is pretty new (Nov 2024) so far I have not switched on the grid again (although Eskom is charging me around R4500 for electricity per month). I have made it through the cloudy days pretty well with the batteries being at about 40% the following morning. When there is full sun my batteries are around 48%. My question is how will the system perform in the winter? What will I need to add to make it through? I am planning on having a standby generator just in case, but obviously don't want to use it. This is my setup currently: 16 x 545w panels, 2x 5kw Deye inverters, 3 x 5.12kw Volta stage 1 batteries. Geyser only heats during the day (but planning on moving the geyser to gas) I also have a gas stove/oven. I am located on the Northern side of Pretoria. I would greatly appreciate any advice.

Thanks I will give it a try

Hi all, I recently moved and took my inverter (5 Star 8Kw) and 2 batteries (N energy 48v 100 AH 4.8kw) with me. With all the drama that comes with moving I haven't had a chance to re install the system. I decided to power up the batteries and noticed that the SOH on one battery is 100% and on the other one it's 28%? The batteries both appear to be operating normally. Any idea why I am getting this low SOH reading or how to correct it? Thanks

Hi Gerhard, thank you for your comrehensive input. I truly appreciate your help and the time you have taken to assist me!

Thank you for the comprehensive reply! I really appreciate it

Correct, sub db off main house, only 1 house on property