Bobster.

OK. So I just signed off on the form that will go to the City. I will try to get a redacted version of the form up here but here (in random order) are some details The application includes the GPS co-ordinates of the site for business/industrial applications they require a site plan that shows locations of the equipment and the connection to the grid You are required to select one of four modes 1) Energy from PV to be used solely within a consumer’s electricity network and no excess power to be exported to City Power’s Electricity distribution network at any time. 2) Energy from PV to be used within a consumer’s electricity network and excess power to be exported to City Power’s Electricity distribution network 3) Energy from PV to be used solely for exporting to City Power’s Electricity distribution network 4) Any of the above with Energy Storage They want the C rating and capacity of your battery They want details of your panels. Maker. Number. Output per panel. Type (poly or mono). Output voltage. String output. There is a code that describes the earthing arrangements. In my case this is "TN-C-S" Average monthly consumption winter and summer How much you expect to export on week days, Saturdays, Sundays (mine are all zero) A test certificate for the inverter model in use is required A "single line diagram" (I haven't seen this) is required They want name, address, contact details of the installer. That's not everything. As I said, I will try to post a redacted form, though probably this will only be on the weekend.

But for surges when power is restored after load shedding? That's why insurers want them, it seem to me.

And it happened again! Monday there was a big storm here. Monday afternoon myself and my neighbours on each side started noticing low voltages. Like low. Like 160s, sometimes 150s. During the night it would creep up, hitting about 240 at 3am (don't ask). Meanwhile the inverter is reporting "VAC failure" errors, and refuses to connect to the grid even when the reported voltage is in range. Interestingly the trouble shooting guides I could find said to check the neutral connection when this happens. I didn't. Because I'm tired of getting that good old buzzing feeling when I start fiddling with anything more complicated than a 16A plug. And this morning, with the grid down in the 160s and 170s, the inverter resumes it's pattern of drawing just enough solar to service the load - on a nice bright morning. I fixed this once by changing settings via SolarGo. It worked. For a while. Then another VAC failure error and we're back at square one. This time I resisted the urge and went and did some planking and had breakfast. Slowly the PV picked up. End of the tale: City Power came knocking, said they were investigating reports of low voltage in 3 houses, mine being one. They first asked me to turn off any inverters in the house then did a stress test. Measure the grid voltage at the meter, then I turn a whole load of stuff on and they see what happens. They then moved this test to.... Long story short: They eventually found a fuse on the neutral line at the substation which had not been located into the holder properly. They pushed this in, and suddenly everybody starts getting a nice, steady 230V. And my inverter started behaving itself again. The worrying scenario for me had been that there was grid voltage, PV was low because of the stormy weather, and because the inverter refused to connect despite the voltage being in range (sometimes) I couldn't get charge into my batteries. I managed to limp through with PV getting some charge into the batteries, and me not having hot showers. Since the dodgy neutral in the substation was fixed, the inverter is as happy as a pig in the proverbial and normal service has resumed.

As I experienced this week. Big storms on Monday and Tuesday. I was sitting pretty (in my mind) because of all the protection on the AC and DC lines. But there was a flash of lightning nearby that tripped everything on my neighbour's DB, blew his electric fence, and also took out the circuit board that controls my garage door. Apart from the damage to the controller board, there is the business of the motor keeping on trying to close a door that was already closed and bending some fittings out of shape.

Yes. I'm just feeling left out because I have a Goodwe. I have an electrician coming today who has done a lot of work with PV systems and has installed a few. And I already know what's going to happen: He'll take one look at the Goodwe and screw his face up. "Ugh! What's THAT?" He doesn't have to do any work on the inverter or it's installation, but I am used to people arriving here and pulling faces at my inverter. Victron, Sunsynk, Voltronic... everybody is in their comfort zone.

I'd think there's a need too for guys who provide after sales service, the sort of guy you call on when your system is out of the installer's 12 month warranty and is playing up. Difficult though, because troubleshooting a Goodwe and a Sunsynk are not the same thing. I think there's lots of opportunities opening up. I've been contacted by a company who, for a monthly fee, will come out twice a year, clean your panels, check the wiring and carry out a "full system test" and "measurements". That's not fixing anything, but it may at least give you some warning of impending failure. Depends on what the "full system test" is. I have a Goodwe, and it's hardly the most popular brand in South Africa. Deye/Sunsynk and the various Voltronics clones outnumber my Goodwe by far. Wouldn't it be nice if, like cars, all these inverters had a single diagnostic port that somebody could plug into and ... well... diagnose.

I live in Randburg. The specific company I'm thinking of is in Kyalami. Both locations are a long way from George. Though if people want service badly enough... As I have told many times, I used to work on a bench for a distributor of electronics goods. One day a man arrived and asked if I could look at his electronic organ straight away. I was warming up for the usual speech about how there's a backlog etc, but then he told me he'd come from Zambia and he needed the organ for a church service this coming Sunday. And he said he'd wait whilst I did my investigations. So you help out a guy who is in that sort of position (he showed me the stamp in his passport as proof that he wasn't just taking a chance). After I'd dislodged many insects and spiders and a scorpion, and blown all the dust and webs out, I found a blown transistor. I had to impose the minimum charge of one hour's labour, but he was happy enough, loaded the organ back onto his bakkie and set off on the return trip.

The guys I bought from have a 10kWh battery for helping out clients in need, but obvs you can't be fussy about the brand. I wouldn't be. Any port in storm. I don't know how much they charge.

Batteries I can see. Inverters not, because of the wiring and configuration involved. See I have a Sunsynk that needs looking at, how is that quickly and safely replaced by a Kodak? OK... mabye the client has a Kodak, and then you're in business. Batteries are much easier to slot into an existing installation. I think here you have to be less worried about the make, other than that it must be a name the folks have heard of.

I've heard (anecdotal) that this is happening in COCT too. They have residents who get a registered system, want to sell back and then can't because the City is wheeling as much as it can already. yes, but what we're discussing here is not having a big solar farm out in the middle of nowhere and selling to Eskom, we're talking about more local arrangements, though presumably they'd still have to interface with (in my case) City Power. There's sizing too, though people who are not like me and actually understand what they're talking about will probably be able to handle that. The rebate on offer is a very good one. It's not clear to me what it applies to. Panels certainly, inverters? I'm guessing not batteries as they certainly are not used for generation (though maybe Government and NERSA could get more creative there). What's your vision here Steve? Somebody sets up a generation plant in a suburb and then sells to houses within, say, two blocks? Some financial arrangement is made for the actual connection, and obviously City Power (in my case) would need to give a green light.

Have you tried getting a quote for repairs? There must be somebody who can do that. Your location says "Melkbos" so I'm not making recommendations. If you lived in my neck of the woods then I could give you a pointer.

Though I note that the incentive includes hydro and wind.

Microgrids are going to require legislative changes. It may be easier for people in sectional title properties. The problem is that it's solar. Rooftop PV is helping Eskom and more so government right now. It's why load shedding is suspended from 10:00 to 16:00 each day. Eskom aren't generating more, but the solar is reducing demand. On days with good weather. When weather is poor, solar microgrids aren't going to do the job. OK, maybe they have battery to get through a day. But a run of rainy days sees them needing to import from Eskom. So there will need to be a billing arrangement and the microgrids become subject to load shedding again. Utilities need to have storage. This could be pump storage or batteries. Then if they adjust their tariffs and make it worthwhile to sell our excess then they can charge the storage during the day and discharge during the evening peak. But they'd have to service the early morning peak. And they're still vulnerable to changes in the weather. So I don't see a future with no bulk generators, and these have to be a mix of wind, solar and nuclear. A different Eskom, with IPPs feeding into the grid, but still an Eskom.

Here's an actual example of demand management and a town that is exempted from load shedding. Interesting that a private company plays a role here. https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/522679-eskom-is-letting-this-town-avoid-load-shedding.html

Exactly. I've signed a document that allows them to act as a proxy for me, and now they do all the filling in of forms, all the drawings, all the standing in line - or at least I don't have to do those things. I'll DM you contact details. I can post those here, of course, but I don't want to do that without asking them first. What they don't do: involve themselves in any discussions about billing involve themselves in any discussions about switching tariffs bring the system up to scratch if they judge it to be non-compliant with the standards. They give you a list of issues, and then you have to get somebody to make the necessary changes at your cost. (I have to get two labels - one for the DB, one for the municipal meter box).

Your first sentence makes the valid point that it's not just about power and how much they can bill you. I remember getting a rebate against a solar geyser at my previous house. And they were giving out CFLs then. So they have been concerned about load and getting that down. PV systems that can feed back are a horse of a different feather. There are a lot of installers participating on this forum, and I'm sure they all do a conscientious job. But I also know folks who have gone to Builders Warehouse and similar establishments, bought some stuff, spent a couple of afternoons clambering around on the roof and doing stuff to their DB and they now say they are "off grid" and who knows what they have and how it's connected. I think that when we can feed power back - even if we are saving them the bother of having to supply us - then they are entitled to be picky about how everything is connected to their grid. Alternatively if you want to go the DIY route and then go off grid and do it properly by asking them to please come and take their meter and their cables away then that's your right and they no longer have any obligation to you nor need concern themselves about your hardware.

The concern with battery and inverter systems is that when the power is restored, these systems all start charging the battery, which can mean that the grid is servicing rather more load than anticipated. Plus because the systems start charging straight away this feeds into the problem of overloads on restoration, just as leaving your geyser or stove on does. This was probably not a problem with the old lead/acid systems because they don't charge at a very high rate. But if you've got a Sunsynk inverter with a 1C battery, then that could be demanding kilowatts over and above what your house needs to run. A different issue really from having PV, but still an issue.

This is one of the killers when it comes to reselling - that you must be a net consumer of electricity. Over 4.5 years now, including spells of bad weather, I am averaging about 2.4 kWh per day from the grid. Call it 72 a month. So I can get paid for 71 a month. It's not worth my while to work my system harder for the R40 odd credit. Also I'm on pre-paid at the moment. If I switch to the reseller's tariff then there are fixed fees every month. So my choice would be to not resell and not to go onto that tariff. My understanding is that currently you can have the combination of PV and pre-paid, but the City is having a good think about this. However right now Council is barely functional, so we don't know how long this option will remain. So I have questions. Because to switch to the re-seller's tariff you must have a two way meter. In some cases this may mean a whole new meter. In others it may mean a change in the meter's firmware. It seems to me that if you have to pay for (at least) a reconfiguration of your meter then moving to reseller's tariff must be voluntary. BUT then the City are entitled to not give you any credit for any thing you send back their way (you're not a reseller). I suspect that most meters can't tell power taken FROM the grid from power sent TO the grid, and so if you feed back it is going to advance your meter (unless you have an old electro-mechanical meter) and so you will pay. So it's up to you to see that you really don't feed back - lack of intent is not enough. Or pay up and don't complain. I'm not sure doing nothing is a good option. It seems to me that if you start generating electricity then the City is going to notice. Because your meter will start showing a significant drop off and/or you stop buying vouchers for pre-paid. We might as well wave a big red flag and say "come and see what I have". They are going to notice, and it's naive to think they will just do nothing. I do think, as I said above, there should be an option to simply not sell back and thus your tariff doesn't change. Sure you use less electricity, but that still helps them. It's better by far that this is by agreement. If I get to that stage I will be very happy. (Which is why I'm posting here - to let y'all know what I had to do and what the outcome is). Noting that weather hasn't been great in Johannesburg the last week and a half, so in most cases we're not really off the grid and we are still importing some electricity into our homes. Going off grid might seem like a good idea, but it's expensive to do and would not be plain sailing. So we still need a connection to City Power.

I got an email from the guys who did my installation, saying that they were increasingly running into this requirement (in various cities) and so they had put together a flat fee deal with another company that has the engineering resources and the know-how to work with the municipality. So I thought about it a short while, then mailed them back to say I was interested.

I've just been checking my historic data. December is usually not a great month for me. January usually not so good either.

Yeah. I ran the interface unit on my kill-a-watt. Draw is negligible, and it peaked at 1.2A on start up.

@Nicholas Strachanhad it right. It's the overcast, rainy weather that reduces production. We've had a bad run in Johannesburg with rain every day for a week. The sky would start clouding up around midday at latest and production dropped off (assuming it got properly started in the first place). The good news, for me, is that I drew an average of 5 kWh from the grid for that period, so I'm still ahead of the game. This is the way to look at it, I think: We have these bad spells, but for 4.5 years I've had the lights on and over those years my average draw from the grid is about 2.6 kWh per day. That's a big improvement.

No. But you can track it turning on its axis.

I should have guessed! I only think of that store for lighting, but they stock a lot more. Thank you

That's where I've been trying - the Builders and like stores. Maybe I need to try a specialist electrical outlet.