Chippy

With all this talk of having to register grid tied solar systems, I am half way through installing an off grid system to run along side the eskom utility. Basically I am installing a separate wiring run powering 5 sockets and the house lighting. As these two are kept completely separate I presume That the solar only falls under the SANS 10142 and doesn't have to be registered with eskom. Am I correct in my assumption.

the specs

My budget is already near it's limit so a victron is only an option if I didn't have to buy anything else. I think I'm getting the hang of the type of inverter that I need, I found this ; Voltronic Axpert MKS Hybrid off-grid inverter 3kVA/3kW 600W MPPT 24V It's cheaper than the original one so to my pocket it looks good. Am I getting nearer the mark with this one?

Plonkster, i really appreciate the advice, I have found this, it's at least a mppt/ inverter. would this be a better option? Solis 3.0kW 4G Dual MPPT - Single Phase. It's specs are as follows; Weight: 11.5 kg. Rated Power: 3,000 W Min PPT Voltage: 100 V Max PPT Voltage: 500 V DC Startup Voltage: 120 V DC Shutdown Voltage: 100 V Max Input Voltage: 600 V Max DC Power: 3,500 W Max AC Power: 3,300 W Max DC Current: 22 A Max DC Inputs: 2 Has DC Fuses: 0 Connector: MC4 Compatible Included Connectors: 2 Euro Efficiency: 97.1 % Transformer: None IP Rating: IP65 MPPT Trackers: 2 Has Integrated DC Switch: No Warranty: 5 years

https://sinetechstore.co.za/shop/inverters/hybrid-grid-interactive-inverters/tbb-energier-apollo-inverter-24v-2000w-50a-pwm/ Link to the inverter, for some reason I can't get any attachments to work so I'll put this instead We don't need a big system as we are going back to a lifestyle where we have no TV, Internet electric kettle or microwave etc. as I said we will have a solsr geyser and gas cooker . The two biggest users of power will be a washing machine that will be used maybe twice a week at 1100 watt for an hour at a time and a hoover for maybe a few hours a week. our only constant will be the fridge freezer which pulls less than 0.1 kw according to the meter Thanks for the input though

Thanks Plonkster, the Vdc makes sense now, the inverter is aTBB energizer apollo, I can't find any negative reviews of them but then I can't find any positive ones either. Where I am at the moment we have a smart meter and it shows what power we are using , the normal reading on it is 0.1 kw during the day with occasional peaks of 2kw but as we are changing to solar geysers and a gas stove our biggest consumer of power will be a hairdryer that gets used for 5 minutes of the day. You say the design balance seems ok, thats the main thing I was wanting to know as I'm allocating about a 6th of my renovation budget into the solar aspect of the place I'm renovating

I am a complete novice on all things solar etc, I have been to a company who have designed a system that they say will cover everything I need but I want to install this all myself. I have a fair understanding of electronics form about 35 years ago but everything has changed so much since the time of resistors and transistors. First question is; The panels recommended are 330w at 48.06V, this bit I understand but then they are rated 1000V Vdc, can someone explain the meaning of this as I seriously doubt they are 1000 volts. Second question is the inverter is a 24 volt 2000w model, It says on the spec sheet that @25 C it puts out 2000 VA continuous power, 1700watts for 30minutes and 1300 watts continuous and @40 C its 1200watts, does this sound a reasonable output for a 2KVA system. Last for the moment is batteries, 4 120ah batteries are included in the quote I got, (Lithium are out of my price range so I'm going for lead acid deep cycle for now,) I don't need a lot of power as we don't run much, about 250 to 300 watts per hour so is the battery backup good enough for maybe two days? I would like peoples opinion as I have a naturally cynical nature when it comes to sales people. they are going to say it is fine just to get a sale from my experience.

Hi, I am a complete novice to renewable energy. I am looking to learn and work out what would be the best option for me. I will be starting from scratch building a system to handle my basic house needs at first then if it's feasable I want to go completely off grid. When I say if it's feasable I mean if I can afford to, I would like to power my woodwork workshop with all power tools from routers to planer/thicknessers and tablesaws.